Starry night on the prairie

I am in Stillwater, OK with Jim.  It is cloudy and very humid outside.  So far Stillwater has only gotten some sprinkles but rain is in the forecast. My feet are telling me the weather is going to change as they are achy and sore this morning.

The electrician came yesterday morning to figure out why the light above my kitchen sink blinks when the dishwasher runs.  He didn’t find a reason for it other than maybe the pump in the dishwasher is getting ready to go out.  It doesn’t change the voltage when the light dims so he doesn’t think it is a fire hazard.  He changed the light bulb to see if a different type of bulb would make a difference – it didn’t.  He checked all the ground wires and bypassed the switch and nothing made it stop blinking.  I will replace the dishwasher in the coming months and see it that works.

Unfortunately while he was working with the breaker box he discovered the 30 amp switches are wired with 20 amp wire.  He said if I was concerned about fire I would get that fixed and if I ever sell the house he would recommend it be fixed if he did the sale inspection.  I told him to put me on his schedule and get them fixed.  There are 20 or 30 of them that need fixed.  Not sure if he will replace the breaker with a 20 amp one or replace the wire leading to them.   I am grateful he discovered that issue but I hate spending money on things that I can’t see the results of.

I got two more areas of the house deep cleaned yesterday before I left for Stillwater.  Three down and many more rooms to go!  It does feel good to have that cleaning project started.  I have a busy week next week but will continue to get at least one room a day done.

It was good as always to see Jim.  We went out to dinner and enjoyed a quiet evening at home afterwards.  He has a lovely back porch and we sat out and enjoyed the evening and quiet of his porch and back yard.  Today he has to work at the book sale at the library from noon until 2:30.  He has a project he needs my help on this afternoon when he gets back.  Tomorrow we will go to church and probably do another project in the afternoon.  I will drive back to KS Monday afternoon.

Hope the rain comes soon so my feet will quiet down.  Both feet are sore this morning from the coming weather change.  I so look forward to the cooler temperatures that are in the forecast for next week.

Grateful to be with Jim again, grateful for service people that can fix things, and grateful my deep clean project is started.

Today hasn’t been as productive as yesterday but I have gotten a few things done.  I had physical therapy in Emporia today.  The kid that worked with me is the son of someone I went to high school with.  He gave me a few additional exercises to do and encouraged me to continue doing the ones the lady in Stillwater had given me to do.  My foot is a bit sore this afternoon from the work out he gave me.

He doesn’t think I need eight visits so he only scheduled me for one time next week and that may be the last visit.  I’m always grateful when a company doesn’t take advantage of a person and has them come less than ordered.

By the time I go back next Wednesday he wants me to have walked a mile without the boot without stopping.  I am going to OK tomorrow and will have sidewalks to walk on so no problem doing that.  Gravel still is a bit of a challenge for me but it is getting easier to walk on.

I put both shoes on this afternoon.  The surgery foot feels a bit tight in the shoe but it is wearable.  Feels good to have both shoes on again.

I ran a few errands while I was in town after my therapy was done.  I am trying to switch my cell phone to my own plan and get it off Kathy’s plan.  Found out she has to give them verbal permission to do so.  Good thing she is coming a week from tomorrow so we can go in and get that taken care of.  Not sure why doing a simple thing like that is so complicated.

I had gotten an advertisement from Pella Windows some time ago.  I had saved it in case the local people couldn’t fix the window that is broken.  I have called the local people four times and they can’t seem to get a window ordered for me.  The Pella people are doing some research but they seem to have the original order that was placed when this house was built.  They are to call me back in a day or two.  It will be nice to get yet another thing crossed off my to do list.

The electrician called and is coming out tomorrow morning to see if he can figure out why the light over the sink blinks on and off whenever the dishwasher pulls water.  I had called them several months ago and for some reason they had cancelled my request.  Yet one more thing that may get fixed and off my list.  Trusting it will be a simple fix that they can take care of tomorrow.

I seem to have lots of pending things going on right now.  It will be good to cross those things off as the loose ends get tied up and completed.

Got the master bathroom detailed cleaned today.  One room down and I don’t want to count how many more rooms to go.  At least that fall cleaning project is officially started.  I may get to the other bathroom upstairs today and get two rooms crossed off the list.  I still need to get outside and mow the little fenced in yard.  I didn’t get that done yesterday.

It rained for about two minutes this afternoon.  It has cooled down a bit but the cold front hasn’t fully gotten here yet.  I will appreciate some cooler more fall like days.

Tomorrow I am going to OK for the weekend.  I am coming home Monday afternoon.  My house sitter will be back out tomorrow for me.  I so appreciate her taking good care of the critters while I am gone.  It will be good to be with Jim again for a few days.

Grateful to have two matching shoes on my feet again, grateful I can start walking outside without the boot, and grateful I get to see Jim tomorrow afternoon.

I have had a productive day finally!  It feels good to have crossed off about ten things from my to do list.  The girls have fresh linens to play in today.  I hadn’t cleaned the coop out since I had surgery and it was overdue for a clean out.  They aren’t laying eggs right now and I am hoping fresh linens will encourage them to get back to doing their business.

Finished mowing the rest of the yard after I cleaned out the chicken coop.  I still need to weed eat and push mow the little front sections of the yard.  I hope to do that tonight after it cools down.  If not, I may get it done tomorrow morning before I have to shower and go in to Emporia for physical therapy.

Went into Emporia after I mowed.  I ran a bunch of errands and picked up a few groceries.  Since I am going back to OK Friday I didn’t need very many.  Got two things taken care of that had been on my list for a long time.  That feels good.  Not sure why I was so productive today but am grateful I was.  I have two or three more things to take care of when I go to town tomorrow morning.  I ran out of energy to finish my list today.

My foot is doing well.  I wasn’t sure how it would handle me cleaning out the chicken coop as the path down to the coop is a bit uneven.  No worries!  I wore my boot to clean out the coop as well as for the trip to town as I knew I was going to be in and out of the car a bunch of times.  It sure feels good to be able to take the boot off when I get home and am in the house.  So far it hasn’t swollen up at all with the increased use of the foot without the boot.

Haven’t gotten the house work done yet.  Trusting I will get at least one room done yet tonight.  Might as well take advantage of feeling productive and get that job started.  I made a mess in my bathroom when I came in from mowing.  Grass likes to stick to my boot.  I had to take a brush to it to get it cleaned up a bit.  Maybe I will start with cleaning my bathroom since it is dirty.

I wanted some Jonathan apples and the grocery store didn’t have any.  I drove out to The Orchard to pick a bag up.  Decided not to get a case of them as I still have apple butter left over from last year.  I do like to eat fried apples and apples with peanut butter.  Jim likes apple crisp so I will make him one this weekend.  It used to be something I liked to eat but it isn’t something I eat now.

One of the things on my to do list is to have the fencing removed front the front yard.  Anyone want some black chain link fence?  You can have it free if you come take it down and remove all the set poles too.  We had it put in when we first moved out here and had our two Cavalier King Charles dogs.  I don’t ever plan on having another inside dog so don’t need the fenced area.  It is a pain for me to have to mow around.

I am really noticing the silence today after being with Jim for several weeks in a row.  Life feels a bit empty to me without him here.  I’m grateful I will be with him again for the weekend.

Grateful to have crossed lots of things off my long to do list, grateful the chickens have fresh linens, and grateful to be able to walk barefoot in the house again.

I got a very good report from my surgeon today.  He said I healed much faster than most people do.  No more crutches or compression tape.  I can start weaning myself off the boot with the goal of being boot free in two weeks.  My big toe is still too stiff so he wants me to do physical therapy twice a week for four weeks.  I scheduled the right foot to be fixed on November 6.

It was good to get home this afternoon.  I stopped for lunch and came straight home afterwards.  I had planned to go to Costco’s and Lowe’s but didn’t have it in me to stop and shop.  Neither stop was urgent so will visit them when I to to KC in the next week or so.  I need to schedule an eye exam and my eye doctor is in KC.  Once I get all my physical therapy sessions scheduled I will know when I can slip away and get up to KC for the day.

I sorted mail, unpacked my suitcase, made a few phone calls and then went out and mowed for two hours.  I didn’t get the whole yard mowed as I ran out of daylight.  I will finish the mowing tomorrow after I do the chicken coop clean out.  I also need to do some more deck painting in the morning before it gets too hot.

I am tired tonight.  It will be good to sleep in my own bed.  Trusting I will get a good night’s sleep.  Bet I am in bed by 9:00 tonight.  Don’t have it in me to stay up late tonight.

I start physical therapy Thursday morning.  I need some groceries so may have to run to town tomorrow and than go back in on Thursday.

I have a long list of things that I need to get done over the next couple of weeks.  I plan on going back to OK Friday afternoon and will be back on the prairie Monday sometime.  After this trip I will be staying home for several weeks in a row so will hopefully get some things crossed off my long to do list.  I hope to get one room a day deep cleaned.  It will take me a bit to get the whole house done.  It always feels good to have it done though.

Jim starts teaching one of his Osher classes Thursday.  The other site starts in two weeks.  That ties him up for eight weeks so I will be going to OK on the weekends so he can stay home and prepare for his classes and continue to work on his house.  He is coming up here some weekends though.  He also plans to come stay for two weeks when I have surgery in November like he did last time.  I scheduled surgery so his classes will be done.  My house works easier with the foot scooter for the two weeks that I have to be non-weight bearing.  After those two weeks I will go to OK for two weeks to continue my recovery.  The holidays might change our schedule a bit – I’ll have to see how everything plays out.

Hard for me to believe that it is the middle of September already.  Christmas will be here before I know it.  This year has flown by.  Jim and I have been dating for eleven months.  Doesn’t seem like it has been that long.

Grateful to be home again, grateful for a good report from the surgeon, and grateful I got some things done this afternoon.

 

We got to Stillwater last night around 11:45.  We had left Asheville at 9:30 their time Sunday morning. It was a long day sitting in the car but it felt good to get home and not have to drive this morning.  I got restless legs about two hours from home which made those two hours feel much longer.  I really enjoyed my Epsom salt bath last night and slept for over five hours straight.

We went for a walk at the lake this morning.  We probably only walked a mile or so.  I hadn’t walked much last week and didn’t want to overdue the walk as I see my surgeon tomorrow and I didn’t want my foot to be cranky for that visit.  I even used the crutches for the walk and I haven’t used the crutches much the last couple of days.

I trust the doctor will tell me tomorrow that I don’t need to use the crutches any more and that I can start going for brief times without the boot.  Wednesday will be six weeks since surgery and he had told me at the beginning to plan on six to eight weeks in the boot.  It will be weird wearing a shoe again.  I will be glad to get back on level ground again.

I have knitted a bit this afternoon and evening.  Jim is working on a sewer issue and on his classes that he is teaching Thursday.  I almost took a nap but decided against it to increase the odds that I sleep good again tonight.

I have to leave for Wichita no later than 9:00 in the morning.  After my doctor’s appointment I want to go to Costco to pick up a few things.  I also have another errand to run while in a big city.  It will be good to be back on the prairie tomorrow afternoon.  I’ll only be home until Friday when I will return to Stillwater for the weekend.

I have a long to do list of things that need taken care of this week while I am home.  Cleaning the chicken coop out is at the top of my list.  I will try to get that done Wednesday morning before it gets too hot.

I need to start my fall house cleaning as I want to get it done before my next foot surgery which will be the first part of November.  Twice a year I hand wash all the floors and wash all the wood work.  It takes me about two weeks to get through the whole house if I do a room a day.  I have most of the weekends on October booked with things to do and places to go so will only have three days a week to clean.

On my list of things to do this winter is to paint all the walls in the house.  I haven’t painted any walls since I painted them when I first moved into the house in November of 2013.  It is time to repaint and freshen up the walls.  I probably won’t be able to get that project started until after my second foot heals from surgery.  I need to get the deck painting project finished before I start the inside walls project.

Grateful for safe travels for our trip east, grateful for a walk at the lake today, and grateful for this time I have had with Jim.

Happy birthday to my oldest daughter Michelle. It is so much fun watching her mother her children. Trust her day was full of love and laughter.

I had one of those nights last night where sleep was hard to come by. Trusting tonight will be the night when I get lots of sleep.

Today was the Celebration of Life Service for Jim’s niece. There was a wonderful crowd that came to the service. The service was full of laughter and music and did a perfect job of honoring her life. Christa was joy and love and the service reflected that.

It was nice to see most of Jim’s nieces and nephews and to get to spend some time with his brothers, sister and their spouses. I’m so glad I had gotten to meet them when we came earlier this year. This time I could almost keep the names straight and know who was who. They accept me so graciously and open their arms and hearts to me. I so appreciate that.

Tomorrow morning we head for OK. We will probably drive for eight to ten hours and stop for the night and drive the rest of the way Monday. We will see how traffic and weather is and decide how far we want to go. It will be good to get back to OK.

My foot held up today. I took my crutches to the service but didn’t need them. My foot is a tad sore tonight but not bad considering how much I was on my feet today. I will get to sit all day tomorrow since I will be in the car. Sure hoping the doctor will tell me Tuesday that I don’t need to use the crutches any more.

It rained this afternoon but the timing was perfect. The family did a dove release after the service and the sun was shining and it was beautiful standing outside watching it. We moved to the fellowship hall for an ice cream social and it started to rain. By the time we were ready to leave the church the rain had stopped.

Grateful for the life and love of Christa and her family, grateful we are heading home tomorrow, and grateful my foot continues to heal and improve daily.

Jim and I drove up to Mount Mitchell today.  It was a beautiful drive on a curvy road through the mountains.  Mt Mitchell is the highest point in the USA east of the Mississippi.  The leaves are just starting to turn.  It will be especially beautiful in another two or three weeks.

We had lunch at the restaurant at the top.  We drove on up afterwards and were going to walk to the observation tower but when we got there it was raining.  I didn’t want to get my boot wet and the sidewalk was wet and I didn’t want to slip.  We turned around and came back down the mountains.

I knitted for a bit this afternoon and evening.  We sat out on the deck and listened to the rain hit the trees and drip down to the ground late afternoon.  The smell was delicious and the sound soothing.

After dinner I was tired as I woke up at 4:00 this morning and couldn’t go back to sleep.  I did my foot exercises and went to bed.  I only slept for about 30 minutes and woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep.  I am hoping I will get tired soon and be able to get some sleep.  Tomorrow is the Celebration of Life Service for Jim’s niece.  Jim and I are passing out programs to those that attend.  They are expecting up to 300 people.

We will be heading for home Sunday early afternoon and will arrive in OK sometime on Monday.  Tuesday I have a doctor’s appointment in Wichita and than will drive on to KS.  Jim starts teaching one of his classes in Stillwater on Thursday.

My foot had a good day.  I didn’t use the crutches much at all today.  It is a bit cranky tonight but it is a full moon and thinking that is why it is cranky.  Trusting it will calm down in a bit and I will be able to sleep.

Grateful for a beautiful drive today, grateful for the rain and the beautiful sounds it makes, and grateful my foot is continuing to heal.

This morning the four of us took an almost one mile walk around a beautiful pond in a park.  There were lots of ducks, geese and turtles on the pond.  It had been a foggy morning and the sun burned through the fog on our walk and was beautiful.

We then drove up to Black Mountain and had lunch at a new restaurant that had opened in the last year.  All of us were pleased with our lunches.

This afternoon we all took a nap.  We had some brief showers and it was good napping weather.

One of Jim’s other brothers had us over for a delicious dinner tonight.  It was nice to spend time with his brother and his family.

Not sure what the plan is for tomorrow.  We may go for a drive up the Smokey Mountain Parkway.  The memorial service is Saturday so some last minute preparations may need to be done that we can help with.

We only have two more days here before we start the journey home.  I heard the prairie received some rain today and got a notice that the power was out at least for a bit today.  I don’t look forward to the 1,000 mile drive home but will be glad to get home next Tuesday.

Grateful for being able to walk well enough to take a mile hike, grateful for the beauty of the mountains, and grateful for Jim’s family and the love they show me.

We arrived at our destination around 4:15.  Travel was easy today although there were times of heavy traffic.  We stopped for breakfast at Waffle House and only stopped for gas and rest areas after that.  We traveled almost 1,000 miles to get here.

Jim’s brother fixed a nice dinner for us this evening.  After dinner we took a short walk down the road.  It felt good to stretch my foot and get out and walk for a bit.

I am tired tonight.  It isn’t even 9:00 here which is 8:00 back home and I am ready to go to bed.  I slept good last night so not sure why I am so tired tonight.  Sitting in a car must be tiring.

I think I will go take a shower and go to bed early.  Anytime sleep can find me I welcome it.

Grateful or safe travels, grateful for good travel weather, and grateful for family.

We traveled 600 miles today and have a little over 400 to go. Hit some traffic in Memphis but never completely stop and go. Traffic has been heavy in places but not bad. Lots of semi trucks on the highway.

We left OK around 10:00 this morning and stopped for the day at 8:00. We stopped for dinner a while back. Drove through two minutes of rain somewhere in Arkansas. It reached over 100 on the east side of Arkansas this afternoon.

My foot is doing OK. I got a cramp in it late afternoon so we stopped and I walked it out. I don’t think my foot likes me to sit all day. Sometimes it is hard to please as it gets cranky if I am on it too much.

I felt bad I didn’t do any of the driving today. The car we are in has a clutch and I don’t feel comfortable using the foot with the boot to work a clutch.

We will sleep in a bit tomorrow and drive on into Asheville tomorrow afternoon. It will be good to get to Jim’s brother’s house.

Grateful for safe travels today, grateful for hotels that are clean, and grateful we are over half way there.

I was busy this morning getting packed and ready to leave for ten days. Had lots of little loose ends to tie up. I didn’t get as much cleaning done as I wanted to but I think I managed to bring everything I needed. I’ll find out during the week if I forgot something important.

I got to Stillwater around 6:00. It was good to see Jim again. We sat outside on the deck for about five minutes and got about ten mosquito bites. I came inside to save my body. The mosquitos are big and hungry tonight.

We plan on leaving for NC around 8:30 in the morning. We are only going to drive about eight to ten hours tomorrow so no real rush to get on the road. Trusting there won’t be lots of traffic to slow us down. I will have to remember to get out and walk every time we stop so my foot can stretch out a bit. It got sore from sitting in the car for the three hour drive down here today.

There was a nice thunderstorm last night. I love hearing the thunder roll over the hills at night. At times there would be a sharp lightning which would immediately be followed by a thunder clap. I don’t think we got lots of rain out of it though. I was glad the fresh dirt in the back yard got sprinkled on at least. Maybe it won’t all blow away if the wind picks up again.

I need to remember to do my foot exercises tonight. I brought my sack of marbles I am to pick up with my big toe each night. The sack has 50 marbles in it and it takes me a bit to pick them up. My toe hurts when I use it like that. It is easier to exercise the toe when I have something to do with it rather than just moving it up and down.

Grateful for a safe trip today, grateful for cream to put on mosquito bites so they don’t itch so much, and grateful to be with Jim again.

Had a delightful surprise today.  Tim and Michelle brought the kiddos out late morning.  The kids stayed for a couple of hours and I took them back into town.  They were so good and we had a fun time together.  I hadn’t seen them for a bit so it was nice to spend some time with them before I leave again tomorrow.

Tim brought out a box for the TV.  Found out I am not getting the speed of internet the provider advertised.  When I get home on the 17th I will have to call the internet provider and find out what the deal is.  It is faster service than I had before but not fast enough for TV and movies.

I went out and painted on the deck this morning and when I get done blogging I am going to go back out and paint for another hour.  What I am painting is tedious work and I can only stand to do it for an hour or so.  I have some ladder work that needs done but am resisting the urge to do that as I don’t trust myself to climb a ladder safely with the boot on.

My foot has been quiet most of the day.  I got some good sleep last night and my foot was mostly quiet all night long.  It woke me up once or twice but overall I had a good night.

I have been pressing completed sets of tea towels and stamping two more sets.  I do one set and than have to get off my foot for a bit and than do another set.  I have put away three sets so far today and still have two sets to press.  I have two more sets stamped and ready for me to embroidery.  I think I am going to take them with me to NC to have something to do while I am visiting with Jim’s family.  I can embroidery and visit at the same time.  Still not sure what I am going to do with all the sets I have done.  The tub I store them in is full already.  I enjoy making them though.

The kids went down to help me do the chicken chores.  The uneven ground still challenges me.  Tagen was brave and went into the chicken pen with me and gave the chickens their sunflower seeds.  We only got one egg today.  Not worth the cost of their feed – the slackers.

I have enough critter feed to last another two weeks so didn’t have to wrestle with feed sacks today.  I’m grateful as picking heavy things up hurts my foot yet.  Trusting I will get by until Jim comes next time and he can lift it for me.

I haven’t gotten any cleaning done today.  I’ll have to get at it when I get done painting this afternoon.  I’m not leaving until afternoon tomorrow so will have some time in the morning to get some cleaning done.  I seem to find ways to procrastinate on house work.  I would much rather be outside painting than inside vacuuming floors.

Ellexia likes to choose the music to play.  I had not heard of any of the groups that she likes to listen to.  Made me felt a bit out of touch and old.  Can’t say that I wanted to remember the names of the groups as I didn’t care for the music she was playing.

Grateful to get to spend some extended time with the grandkids today, grateful my foot has been quiet today, and grateful I get to be with Jim again tomorrow.

 

Had a frustrating morning trying to tell my printer about the new internet provider. They don’t seem to want to be friends.  I can only use my printer through the cord to the computer and can’t get the wireless connection to work.  Not sure what I am doing wrong.  When I am not so frustrated I will call the new internet provider and find out if they have any hints for me.  I am so over it right now I can’t deal.

The solar guy came today.  I really liked him.  I signed the contract to have solar panels installed.  He won’t get here until the end of October to do the work.  We are going to put the panels on the barn roof as the south roof on the house is not big enough.  It is a huge investment so trusting I am not doing the wrong thing.

The retaining walls are complete.  I liked the guy that did that work too.  He did a few little extra things Jim wanted done to help improve the drainage in the back yard.  I was talking to the guy after I paid him and found out he would be interested in helping me install a labyrinth in the back yard.  I might consider doing that next summer.

Jim sanded the railings on the deck and I painted them this afternoon.  We only have the steps to do plus a bit more ladder work and the deck project will be completed.  Another long weekend of work on it and we should wrap it up.  Not sure when we will get to it but hoping a weekend soon.

I was able to get some good sleep last night.  I woke up around 2:00 as my foot was cranky.  I took some ibuprofen and about an hour later was able to go back to sleep.  My foot was OK this morning but is a bit cranky this afternoon.  I am moving more in this house than I do in Jim’s house and my foot doesn’t seem to approve.  It can get over itself!

Jim is gathering up his tools and getting ready to go back to OK.  I will go to OK Sunday afternoon and we will leave for NC Monday morning.  We have been together since August 6 this time.  That is the most time consecutively we have spent together and haven’t had a fight yet!  I don’t look forward to coming home from NC as we will then be apart for two weeks or so.  Life is much easier for me when we are together.

I have an empty space day tomorrow.  I do want to get the box for the TV and see if I can get it hooked up.  After the trouble I have had with the printer I am a bit nervous about my ability to successfully hook it up.  We shall see!  I also need to do some house cleaning.  I haven’t done much for over a month and the house is starting to feel very dirty to me.

Feeling a bit cranky this afternoon.  Thinking the timing of an empty space day is just what I need.  The last three days have been busy with lots of extra people around.  Although my mobility is better I am still limited as to what I can do comfortably.  Guess it is a good thing I will be sitting in a car and not doing much for next week.  Maybe by the time I get back home my foot will be lot better and things will feel more like normal for me.

Grateful for contractors that provide great service, grateful for more work done on the deck, and grateful It will only be two days before I am with Jim again.

I had a night of very little sleep.  It happens occasionally to me and I have learned to just roll with it.  I had taken a nap yesterday so maybe that was part of it.  I am very tired this afternoon but resisted the urge to take a nap.

I was awake at 7:00 so decided to get up and finish the mowing.  I had mowed about a fourth of the yard last night before I ran out of daylight.  The sunrise this morning was incredible.  There was a low hanging fog that the sun rose up and over.  It was a great way for the prairie to welcome me home.

I mowed until about 9:30.  I’m glad I got it done while it was nice and cool out as it warmed up today and is hot outside now.  The guy came to work on the retaining wall again.  He finished the south wall and then did the north wall.  He is bringing in some dirt to level the yard out tomorrow.  He helped Jim remove the little fish pond that was in the back yard.  It was a mosquito breeding place.  Tomorrow he is going to help Jim level the ground under the deck steps.  The timing of having both guys here this week was perfect.

The internet guy came around 9:00 and installed the new internet service.  It is so much faster.  I can actually watch movies on PrimeTime now.  I ordered a box from Tim so I can have TV for Jim to watch the news on.  We are going to figure out a way to get that installed Saturday.

The Geek Squad from Best Buy delivered and installed the new washing machine a little before noon.  It is nice to have a washing machine again.

The solar panel guy called and postponed his appointment until tomorrow.  Jim will stay to be here for that and than he is heading back to Stillwater to get his yard mowed before we leave Monday for North Carolina.

I went into Emporia this afternoon and went to Walmart to pick up a few groceries.  I also got a TV for the study upstairs, some marbles so I can do a foot exercise, and some more bandage tape for my foot.  I was really tired by the time I finished my shopping.

When I went out the door after checking out the receipt police guy checked my cart.  I expected him to check the receipt for the TV but then his scanner thingy had him look for several other things.  He asked me where I had gotten the ice and why I hadn’t paid for it.  I told him I had told the lady and she said she rang it up.  He said it wasn’t on the receipt.  I asked if I could see the receipt and found it.  He didn’t apologize for asking me why I had stolen it.  That kinda put a sour taste in my mouth.

Jim is out in the heat finishing up the mowing and trimming using the hand mower.  He had given me a swing for my birthday which had come while I was in OK so he put that together today.  I have dinner in the oven and need to go get it finished up soon.

Tomorrow the guy from the solar panel company is to come around 2:00.  Other than that it should be a quieter day around here although the retaining wall guy will be here again.  I hope we get around to getting some sanding on the deck done so I can do some painting on Saturday but we will see how the day goes.  Other things keep coming up and painting the deck project seems to have been pushed to the back burner.

Saturday I need to do some house cleaning.  It has reached the point that I can’t stand how dirty the house is.  I leave again Sunday to go to OK so we can leave Monday morning for NC.  Not sure I will get the whole house cleaned or not.

My foot is holding up today.  I think I was on it too much today but so far it hasn’t gotten too cranky with me.  I used the crutches part of the time and I think that helped keep it happy.  I trust it won’t start yelling at me tonight and keep me from sleeping.

Grateful for a new washing machine, grateful for fast internet, and grateful for the guy doing the retaining wall and a few little extras for us.

Got to the doctor’s office at 10:30 this morning for my 11:00 appointment.  This office usually runs early and I was surprised when it was after 11:00 and they hadn’t called me back.  The Lady that struggled to check me out last time had checked me in.  I was thinking of going up to see what the problem was when I saw the NP come out.  She saw me and asked if I was ready to go back.  The girl that had checked me in had marked that I was doing paperwork for them and my status was on hold.  I told the NP about the long check out last time and that I had been waiting since 10:30.  She apologized and said she would fix it.

After that delay the office visit went fast.  I was immediately taken back for my x-rays.  Everything looks very good and the bone is already starting to fill in which is ahead of schedule.  I am free to not use crutches for short distances such as being in the house although I am to continue to use them for longer distances.  She was not impressed when I told her I had been standing barefoot on my hurt foot for two minutes at a time.  She said my foot is not ready for that yet.  I still have to use the compression wrap as it will help keep it from swelling.  I am not to walk anywhere yet without the boot on that foot.

She recommended up to three more weeks of physical therapy so I can get help with regaining the range of motion of the big toe.  I told her I was going to be gone next week and couldn’t start doing PT until after my next appointment on the 17th.  She told me to keep doing my home exercises and they would re-evaluate it the 17th.

Overall it was a good report and she is pleased with my progress.  The scar looked really good this morning and is already softening and disappearing a bit.

We stopped at Pop’s Diner in Peabody for lunch on the way home.  I had a bun less hamburger and Jim had a hamburger steak dinner.  The hamburger was cooked perfectly and was very moist and tasty.  We got back to my house around 1:30.

The guy is here rebuilding the south retaining wall.  It has been fun watching him work this afternoon.  The back yard is a big mess as a result.  He had to bring in some fill dirt and fill rocks.  He still needs to do the north wall.  I’m so glad that project is underway and almost halfway done.

I will need to mow either yet this evening or tomorrow morning.  The grass is tall!  I don’t see any evidence of it burning up this summer.  Amazing!

Tomorrow the new internet service is to be installed.  They haven’t contacted me to tell me what time they are coming.  The new washing machine is being delivered between 12:00 and 4:00.  And the guy is coming to give me a bid on putting up solar panels on the barn roof.  He hasn’t firmed up a time yet either.  Guess I will mow in between appointments.

We may run into town this evening and get a few groceries.  My refrigerator is rather empty.  I am only going to be home until Sunday afternoon so won’t need too many things.  I am fixing ham and beans in the instant pot for dinner as I have that stuff on hand.  Breakfast might be hard to come by though with my empty refrigerator.

The girls are only giving us one or two eggs a day right now.  They are totally slacking!  It is too early for them to molt so thinking the heat is bothering them.  Next spring I will need to replace them if I want a constant supply of eggs.

Got through the stack of mail.  90% of it was junk and went into the recycling bucket.  I need to go out and spend some time petting the cats and dogs.  I took a nap when I got home and haven’t made it out to visit the critters yet.

Four weeks of recovery down!  Two more weeks with partial use of the crutches to go.  She said I would probably still need the boot after my next visit in two weeks for when I go out and walk any distance at all.  She said it usually takes ten weeks to be fully comfortable in a shoe all the time after surgery.  When that happens I can then schedule a date for the next foot to be done and we start this process all over again.

Grateful for the healing that is happening in my foot, grateful for my retaining wall being repaired, and grateful for my house sitter that does a beautiful job taking care of the house and critters while I am gone.

I completed my physical therapy this afternoon.  I currently have my foot on ice trying to calm it down from being stretch out.  I was able to stand on only my sore foot for two minutes with full weight.  It doesn’t hurt when I do so although it does feel stiff.  Progress is being made!  The therapist is rather sure I will be able to ditch the crutches after my appointment tomorrow.  That will make me very happy!

We found out today the Celebration of Life Service for Jim’s niece will be September 14.  We will go to my doctor’s appointment in Wichita tomorrow morning and then go to Strong City.  Jim will stay until Saturday when he will then return to Stillwater.  I will drive to Stillwater Sunday afternoon and we will leave for Asheville on Monday and arrive on Tuesday.  We will leave Asheville Sunday, Sept 15 in the afternoon and be back in Stillwater on the 16th.  I have another doctor’s appointment in Wichita on the 17th so I will go to that and then head back to Strong City alone.  Jim starts teaching his Osher Classes Sept 19.

Thankfully my housesitter can come back the 8th and stay until I get back home on the 17th.  I will be able to attend all my appointments and not have to reschedule anything.  Everything worked out perfectly for my schedule.

Not sure what I will do if the doctor wants me to have additional physical therapy.  I won’t be able to work it in until after the 17th.  I will continue to do the exercises I have been taught and hope for the best.

It will be good to get home and get through the stuff that has piled up since I have been gone for two weeks.  I’m sure the yard will need mowed and I will have lots of mail to sort and bills to pay.  I will also need to restock all the critter’s feed supply so I can be gone for ten days again.  I’m glad I don’t have guests coming so won’t have to clean house for them.

It is very warm in Stillwater today.  I haven’t taken a walk yet today and may not do so if it doesn’t cool down before dark.  I am not a big fan of heat.

Grateful for the physical therapy I received and the progress it has helped me make, grateful the schedule is coming together and I can keep my appointments, and grateful to be returning home tomorrow.  I have missed the prairie!

I finally feel like I did something productive today.  Jim is remodeling his front porch.  We went to Lowe’s and he purchased the railings he is adding to the porch.  I painted 48 of them this afternoon.  It felt good to actually do something.  I sat on a stool and painted so I stayed off my foot.  My foot is a bit cranky this evening but it can just get over itself.  I’m tired of it’s whinny moods!

I have dinner cooking.  Jim is still outside working on the porch.  It has been a good Labor Day around here.  Progress is being made.

We should hear tomorrow when the Celebration of Life is going to be for Jim’s niece. Once we have a date we can firm up plans to head to Asheville.  I have some back up plans ready to go in case I need them.  Hard to know what to plan for until we have a date though.

The guy that is going to repair my back yard retaining walls sent me a text today.  He is going to move equipment to my house tomorrow and get that job started.  I have had that project on my to do list for over two years.  It will be good to finally get it crossed off.

Tomorrow I have Physical Therapy.  It will be my last appointment with the lady here in Stillwater.  She has been vey good and I would go back to her anytime.  I’ll find out Wednesday at my surgeon’s appointment if I need to do more PT in Emporia.  I am hoping on Wednesday the doctor will tell me that I can stop using my crutches and stop having to put tape on my foot.  I know I still need to wear the boot as my foot still hurts when I stand on it without the boot.  Crutches and I have an agreement these days but it is tenuous at best.  The tape between my big toe and the toe next to it drives me crazy.  Oh my, it is the little things in life that get to me sometimes!

Thursday my new washing machine is to be delivered.  I am also having a new internet provider install their equipment.  Trusting it will be fast enough service that I can get a system from my son in law so I can have TV for Jim.  Jim is a news junkie. I also have a guy coming to give me a bid for solar panels.  Trying to find ways to reduce my monthly expenses in the house and utilities are one of my bigger expenses.  Trusting we won’t have to leave for Asheville before Thursday but if we do I have a back up plan.

We were out late last night and I got to see the moon.  It made me realize I am a bit homesick for the open prairie.  I sure miss seeing the sunrises and sunsets and the moon when I am in town and away from home.

Wednesday marks four weeks from surgery so I should only have two more weeks in the boot!  My foot sure looks different than the other one now that the swelling has gone down.  It really hasn’t been as bad as I thought it might be.  Not sure I am excited about having the other one done and starting this whole process over again but the second one should be easier since I know what to expect.

Grateful to have found something productive to do today, grateful my retaining wall is finally going to get repaired, and grateful I got to see the moon last night.

I had a much better night last night.  I was able to sleep for almost five hours without waking up.  That is a good night’s sleep for me.  I wasn’t able to get a second sleep but I took an hour’s nap this afternoon.  My foot didn’t hurt at all last night.

Got a phone call this morning letting us know that Jim’s niece had made her transition.  The family is resting today and will start making plans for her celebration of life service tomorrow.  Jim and I are waiting to hear when the service is going to be and then will rearrange our schedules so we can be there.  It is a 15 hour drive to Asheville and we will do the drive in two days.

I have a Physical Therapy appointment on Tuesday, a surgeon’s appointment on Wednesday and I have three people coming to my house in Strong City on Thursday for various reasons.  All of the above appointments can be rescheduled if needed.  I’m not sure if the family is going to schedule the services this week or for sometime in the near future.  Once we know a date we will go from there.  For now we will stick with our original plan and go to Strong City after my surgeon’s appointment in Wichita Wednesday morning.  I will have to go to Strong City before we can leave for Asheville as I don’t have enough thyroid medication with me to last two weeks.  I also need some different clothes so I can attend the services in something other than shorts.  I’m not sure how long we will stay in Asheville once we get there.

I keep reminding myself everything will work out and not to let myself get caught up in the details of how.  Once we have actual information to work with we can come up with a plan.  Appointments can always be rescheduled if needed.

Jim and I went to his church this morning.  Going back to church has been interesting for me.  Each time I go I see more and more familiar faces in the area of the church I sit in.  I am remembering the fellowship and friendship that being a part of a church involves.  I still miss that part of church.  It is nice to be able to attend and not have to do more with the church than that.  I kinda throw out the parts that bug me and embrace the parts I enjoy.

As soon as it cools down a bit more I want to get out and take a mile walk again.  My foot feels better after I move it a bit.  My big toe is becoming more flexible although it still has a ways to go.  I get to stand barefoot for 10 minutes a day so I can work on my balance.  The foot aches a bit when I stand on it and I haven’t tried walking on it without the boot yet.  Hoping on Wednesday they will tell me I can start going without the crutches for at least part of the time.

Grateful for the beautiful life of Jim’s niece and that I got to meet her, grateful for a good night’s sleep, and grateful for the fellowship a church provides.

Last night was one of the hardest nights yet.  Not sure why my foot got so cranky.  I tried icing it and that slowed it down but then the pain came back.  I took four ibuprofen and waited an hour and when the pain didn’t ease I finally took a pain pill.  Unfortunately the pain pill didn’t knock me out like they had been.

I had a very fitful night’s sleep.  The pain kept breaking through.  After I got up this morning I felt like I had a major hangover so after I ate a bit I went back to bed.  I slept for a good two hours this afternoon and finally feel human again.  Yuck!  So grateful this is a very occasional experience with this surgery and has not been my day to day reality.

Finished the third set of tea towels yesterday so am down to only knitting to do to keep myself from going crazy.  Sitting is getting old quick today!

Jim has been outside finishing his mowing and is now installing the final post on his porch.  Glad one of us is having a productive day.

Tomorrow is another day and I am trusting that it will be much better than today.  This has been one of those hard days and I’m grateful it is almost over.

 

Made it one mile on our morning walk.  Seems like such a small distance but it felt like a long distance!  My foot was cranky all night and morning.  Thinking it was the storm system that came through that activated it.  It might have been PT too as the therapist really worked my big toe and made it sore.  The walk helped it stretch out and feel better.  I iced my foot when I got back from the walk and it has quieted down and felt OK this afternoon.

Our trip to Asheville is still pending.  Not sure how to plan and what to plan for as we don’t have any idea when Jim might need to be there.  I’m hoping it won’t be for another week so I can go along but that feels a bit selfish of me to hope that.  Things will work out the best way for all what ever that may be.

Other than taking a walk today I have stayed in and worked on the tea towels.  I have about thirty minutes of work to go and I will finish the third set since surgery.  Good thing I have some knitting to do after I finish the tea towels.  Sitting and doing nothing is getting old!

Jim has taken good care of me.  I told him today I have felt a bit out of my comfort level having to have someone take care of me so much.  Luckily he seems to understand that.  I am almost back to being independent but it is still hard to do everything when I use both crutches.  I have switched to only using one crutch when I am in the house which frees my right hand up.  Being left handed that isn’t as much help as I would like but it is a step towards independence.  I still use both crutches when I go for my walk as it helps not put so much weight on my hurt foot.

Heard Strong City and the area got some very high winds last night.  I texted my house sitter and she reported I had no wind damage.  Good to hear that!  90 MPH wind was reported in the area.  Wow!  That is some strong wind.  Stillwater had lots of rain, lightning and thunder over night.  More rain is forecast for later tonight and into tomorrow.

Feeling a bit isolated from my friends and family.  It will be good to get back home and get out of this boot and off crutches and get back into “normal” life.  I’m tired of everything being a bit more challenging and harder than normal for me to do.  I’ll only have four weeks of freedom before I start this process all over with the other foot.

Have a ham loaf baking in the oven for dinner.  Jim is working on his front porch.  I sit on the couch and watch the hands of the clock slowing move.  And this time shall pass and things will get back to normal soon!

Grateful. I had no storm damage from the high winds last night, grateful for being able to walk a mile this morning, and grateful my foot is healing and I will be off crutches soon!

Went to Physical Therapy today.  She had me stand on a cushion without my boot for 10 minutes doing various poses.  I did well with the exercises she had me do.  The only time it hurt was when she was massaging my foot and pushing the toe back and pulling it forward.  She was talking to someone and forgot what she was doing once or twice.  Ouch!

She laughs at me when she has me move from the table to a chair.  She was impressed with my flexibility.  Glad I have that going for me!

Haven’t done much other than PT today.  Still working on my knitting project and finishing up the third set of tea towels.  It is too hot to be outside for very long today. I’ll fix dinner in a bit as Jim is working outside mowing and finishing a porch project he has been working on.

We don’t have any plans for the weekend.  Still not sure when Jim will have to head back east.  I may or may not go depending on timing.  I have PT Tuesday, a doctor’s appointment on Wednesday and three appointments on Thursday.  After that I can get free to go with him.  We will see how things go.

My foot was cranky last night and I had a restless night.  I didn’t take a walk last night an am wondering if that caused my foot to be cranky.  After it cools down this evening I will get my mile walk in and see if that helps for tonight.  I never know why my foot gets cranky but am grateful it doesn’t happen everyday.

One disadvantage to being retired is everyday feels a bit like a holiday.  We kinda forgot to make any special holiday plans for this weekend.  So far we plan on having a quiet weekend at Jim’s house.  He has lots of projects to work on.  I’m afraid I am not very helpful as I am still on both crutches.  Hard to do anything when you don’t have a free hand.

Grateful for another successful physical therapy session, grateful my foot isn’t cranky this afternoon, and grateful for quiet weekends at home.

Walked over 3/4 of a mile this morning.  I was tempted to go for the whole mile but decided not to push myself that hard.  My foot feels better after my walk but then it tightens back up and aches a bit.

I can already see some improvement in movement in my toe by doing my exercises twice a day.  I go back to PT tomorrow afternoon.  I may have to transfer to Emporia for the remaining two sessions the doctor has ordered if Jim has to leave this weekend.

Jim got news today that his beautiful niece in Asheville has been placed in Hospice care.  We are making alternate plans for when he needs to go back east.  At this point I am not planning on going with him but timing will determine that.  My foot kinda complicates things as I have PT and doctor appointments.  If she holds on for another week I may go with him.

My heart is heavy thinking of her parents who have provided such loving care to their daughter.  She represented pure love to me and had such simple joy for life.  I can’t imagine the pain her parents are in right now.  I hold them all in my heart and prayers.

Anytime something like this happens it makes me grateful for everyday that I have and I am reminded yet again that none of us are promised tomorrow.  We each have to find a way to make the most of everyday by stepping out and going forth in love.

Jim is at the dentist having some work done.  He has choir practice tonight.  I think we are going out to dinner tonight as we also have an appointment at 4:30 for an hour with a friend of his.  I stayed at his house while he is at the dentist and have been doing some laundry in case we need to pack up quickly and take out.

Grateful for being able to get out and walk a couple times a day, grateful for exercise that are helping me regain mobility in my toe, and grateful for Jim’s niece that taught me what pure, unconditional love looks like.

Another day closer to being crutch free! I stayed home all day today. Did my foot exercises this morning and took a 3/4 mile walk. My foot was a bit sore last night but has been quiet today.

Took another 3/4 mile walk tonight. It is so good to be outside moving my body. I was going to go for a one mile walk tonight but Jim talked me out of it.

Starting a new knitting project today. My arms and shoulders are sore from the knitting I did today. I haven’t done much knitting lately and those muscles have gone weak. I’ll switch to embroidery work the rest of the night and give those muscles a chance to rest.

Tried making a pork loin for dinner. I didn’t care for it as it was too chewy. I probably over cooked it. I rarely cook pork. The flavor was good but it took forever to chew.

Got a text from the guy that is going to redo my retaining wall. He is delivering the fill rocks next week. That must mean he is getting close to coming and doing the work. Yay!

It has been a nice, quiet day at Jim’s house. I needed a day with not much going on. Tomorrow will be another quiet day too. Love days when I get to stay home all day and have lots of empty space.

Grateful for being able to get out and walk a couple time a day, grateful for knitting that keeps my hands busy, and grateful for empty space that allows me to refill my soul.

I had my first physical therapy appointment today.  I really liked the lady I worked with.  She explained how the bunion formed and how it has impacted the arch in my foot.  She showed me a set of exercises I am to do twice a day.  My foot isn’t too sore tonight but I can tell it was worked today.

I walked a half of a mile this morning and again this evening.  I am doing better with the crutches and walking in a more normal gait.  I trust I am putting half my weight on the crutches – not sure how to measure that.

We went to Walmart after my appointment.  I needed to get a hot pad and an arch support insole for my shoes the therapist recommended.  I also got some cocoa butter that she recommended I rub on my foot twice a day.  The therapist said it would heal quicker if I keep the skin moist.

I go back to PT Thursday and then again next Tuesday.  I don’t know if the surgeon will order more sessions when I go in Sept 4 or not.  I almost wished I could go back to this lady if he does but I will be back in KS after that appointment.

The therapist recommended I have the surgery to fix the other bunion as quick as allowed.  She said if I delay it too long I will have to fix my gait again on the foot I just had done.  That makes sense so will get it scheduled around the first of November.

When I was at Walmart I picked up some yarn.  I am almost done with the third set of tea towels I have been working on since I had surgery.  I needed something else to work on when I get them done.  I had the needles for the project I want to do with me and printed a copy of the pattern off the internet.  I’ll get the project started this evening or tomorrow.

It feels good to be out moving around a bit more.  I still have to sit more than I can move and it is hard to do much using two crutches most of the time.  But I am almost halfway through this and my healing is progressing as or even better than expected. Jim continues to take good care of me and make it as easy as possible for me to do nothing.  His hand is healing although he said it was sore today.  The swelling is going down and he can close his fist a bit tighter each day.

Grateful to have found a great physical therapist, grateful to be out walking a bit again, and grateful for being almost halfway through this!

 

I forgot to write yesterday.  We had a quiet day at home and didn’t do much.  Today we went to church this morning and than stopped at Panera’s for lunch on the way home.  We sat with some friends of Jim’s who go to his church and had stopped for lunch too.

We took a nap this afternoon.  It had rained overnight and was still rainy this afternoon and was a perfect afternoon to take a nap.  I may not be able to sleep tonight but I will take sleep whenever it finds me.

Tomorrow afternoon I start physical therapy.  I hope it won’t hurt too much.  I had worked on moving my big toe up and down last night while I was taking my bath and it hurt off and on during the night.  It hasn’t hurt today so far.

I have finished another set of tea towels and have a second set finished.  This time of sitting is becoming productive.  Too bad I don’t really need any more tea towels.  Oh well, I will find a home for them sometime, somewhere.  I may need to visit a yarn store to find me something else to do until I come back home early September.

My body is starting to show signs I have not been moving it much.  I haven’t been on a scale for a bit so don’t know if I have gained weight or not.  My body feels saggy and like it is losing tone.  My sore leg looks smaller than the other one like it has lost muscle tone from not being used.  I sure would love to go take a two or three mile hike.  I am almost halfway done with the need for crutches so just have to hang in there a bit longer and I will have this.

Starting to feel a bit out of touch with others.  Being on crutches feels a bit isolating to me.

Grateful for afternoon naps, grateful for healing, and grateful I am almost halfway through this time on crutches.

Had a much better night last night.  I didn’t sleep all night but didn’t have any pain.  I’ll take that any night over a night of pain and having to take a pain pill.

I realized today getting around is actually slower with crutches than it was with my knee cart.  With crutches I don’t have a free hand.  At least with the cart I had something to balance things on while I wheeled around.  I have been using two crutches today and have been very conscious of how much weight I put on my sore foot.  I walk about the speed of a turtle.

Other than doing the embroidery on several tea towels I haven’t accomplished much today.  Just taking a shower each morning feels like my day’s work is done!  I laid down for a bit this afternoon but didn’t go to sleep.  I can take my foot out of the boot while sleeping now – just can’t take any steps with it off.

I had ordered a new washing machine from Lowe’s in Topeka.  They called today to firm up the delivery and told me they couldn’t do it on the day they had promised and that I would have to wait another week.  I cancelled the order and ordered the same washer at the same price from Best Buy.  They are to deliver on the day I was promised by Lowe’s.  I’ll see if they come through!  This makes two different businesses that have lost a sale due to delayed delivery dates.  They must not need the business.

Tonight we are going to some program at Jim’s church.  I have been to his church before and there aren’t lots of steps so should be good to go.  I’ll have to remind him we need to leave a bit early to give me time to get in and out of the car and into the building.  I don’t do anything very fast these days.

Getting a bit antsy from all the sitting and doing nothing.  I keep telling myself I am allowing my foot to heal and not just sitting.  Sometimes I can relax in to that and other times not so much.

Jim took his splint off his hand today.  His hand is still swollen but he is able to move his fingers and make a fist.  He can’t close his fist tight due to the swelling but doesn’t have too much pain when he tries to do so.  Grateful it seems to be healing quickly and am trusting he will be pain free in another couple of days.  He banged it good.

We got a nice rain overnight here.  More rain is predicted for overnight tonight.  Sure am enjoying a break from the high 90’s and low 100 degree temperatures.  The humidity is still high though.

Grateful for less pain today, grateful to be getting another couple of sets of tea towels done, and grateful healing is happening for both of us.

 

Had a very rough night last night.  Had more pain than I have had since I had surgery.  Thinking my foot got used to not being used and was protesting the movement I did yesterday.  I took some ibuprofen and then finally broke down and took a pain pill.  Unfortunately the pain pill didn’t help me sleep much but it did help the foot calm down enough that I got two hours of sleep.

The foot is much calmer today.  I took a nap this afternoon to catch up on some missed sleep.  I get an occasional twinge in my foot but it isn’t screaming all the time.

Ordered a new washing machine today.  It will delivered the afternoon on the day I get back to KS.

Found a place to go to physical therapy starting Monday here in OIK.  I need to get four sessions in before my Sept 4 Doctor’s appointment.  The first place I called couldn’t get me in until a week from today and didn’t accept my supplemental medical insurance.  The second place got me in Monday and accepts my insurance.

We did go out and bought groceries today.  I needed some more bandage tape as I have to wrap my foot with that stretchy medical tape.  Also got some Epson salts for my daily evening bath.  It felt so good to soak my foot last night.

Worked on some embroidery work today but other than that have done almost nothing.  One advantage to being at Jim’s house is I don’t see lots of things I wish I could be doing.  It is easier to just sit and do nothing.  I’m getting good at that!

Jim reports his hand has not been painful today.  He is to leave the splint on it for another 24 hours and then can take it off.  When we were at the grocery store strangers were commenting on the two of us having injuries.  We need to make up a good story about them I guess.

Grateful for pain pills and the relief they provide, grateful for physical therapy places, and grateful Jim’s hand is healing quickly.

What a day!  This day has had some unexpected happenings to make my birthday one to remember.

We got up early to get everything packed so we could be on the road by 9:15 to head to Wichita and my doctor’s appointment.  My guest left before 7:00 this morning and I needed to get his bedroom and bathroom cleaned so it would be ready for my house sitter.  My washing machine broke yesterday but luckily I had an extra set of sheets which fits the guest bed.

We managed to leave my house on time and arrived at the surgeon’s office a bit early.  The nurse removed my dressing and gave me wet wipes so I could clean my foot up some.  My foot is a variety of colors ranging from a deep purple to a ghoulish yellow.  It felt good to be able to clean between my toes.

The PA came in and removed the stitches and little bandages.  It is healing nicely.  She sent me for X-rays which confirmed that everything is healing great.  My boot has not been holding air and I asked them to check it.  The PA said they would replace it but the physical therapist guy didn’t seem to believe me that it was leaking.  After messing with it for about 15 minutes he finally put a new one on me although I could tell he wasn’t very happy about it.

I am now able to walk with only one crutch and can do partial weight bearing.  I can even take the boot off at night but I am not to put weight on my foot with the boot off.  I am managing to walk although uneven surfaces cause me issues and my foot is sore tonight.  I haven’t taken the boot off yet but it feels like it is swollen again.  I will try to stay off of it the rest of the evening and see if that helps.

I had to check-out and get instructions to take to a physical therapist for therapy they suggested I have.  I only have to go twice a week for two weeks.  The lady at the desk was overwhelmed and was helping another patient.  That took about 20 minutes.  She finally got to me and then struggled to be able to print the therapy instructions.  It was a bit frustrating.  The whole visit today seemed a step or two out of balance for some reason.

We finally got out of there around noon and headed to OK.  Jim had gone out to the car to get my crutches and when he was reaching into the car to get them misjudged the distance and jammed his fist.  It started swelling up on the drive home and was causing him lots of pain.  When we got home he called his doctor and was sent to urgent care for an X-ray.  Luckily he didn’t break anything but it is swollen and sore. They put a temporary splint on it that he is to wear for two or three days to help relieve the pain.

We went out for dinner.  Jim wasn’t able to eat much as he is tired and in pain.  He came home and is taking a short nap as he has choir practice to go to yet tonight.  I am going to stay here and prop my foot up and ice it and rest.  We are both tired tonight.

I appreciated all the phone calls, texts, emails and Facebook birthday wishes.  It has been a nice day outside of the injury to Jim’s hand.

OK is hot!  It was over 100 here today.  Strong City got another surprise thunderstorm last night.  The wind was rocking and rolling for a bit again last night.  I certainly welcomed the rain.

Grateful for a foot that is healing nicely, grateful for partial weight bearing and grateful Jim’s hand wasn’t broken.

My guests left around 9:15 this morning.  They were only 15 minutes behind schedule.  Not bad for having to get four teenagers up and moving.  I enjoyed their company and hope they return again sometime.  The little one had to go down to the chickens one last time to check for eggs this morning before he left.  He found one more egg to take home with him.

I went into Emporia after they left for my physical.  Had to get poked twice to give blood as the first site clotted over before the tubes were full.  My physical was a joke of sorts.  I had heard of special things that have to be done when you turn 65 and are on Medicare but my physical today was my doctor’s version of a normal physical with nothing extra.  Not sure it was a complete physical but I can check the box that I had one done.

My blood pressure was 108/60 this morning at the doctor’s office.  Not bad!  My cholesterol was only 219 which is very low for me.  Almost all the blood results were within normal levels and the two or three that were out of whack were not worrisome according to the doctor.  Looks like I will live another year or so.

Stopped at Walmart afterwards and bought groceries so I can fix dinner for tonight.  Two friends are coming over for dinner and I invited my guest that is coming in tonight to join us too.  Came home and started laundry.  I have the upstairs bedroom clean and ready to use and am doing the laundry from the bedrooms and bathrooms downstairs.  Jim is going to drive me around back and I will go in and clean the downstairs when all the laundry is done.

Tomorrow we have a free day.  It has been too hot to get much work done on the deck.  With company tonight we won’t get much done then.  If we were smart we would get up early tomorrow morning and work outside for a couple of hours and then sleep during the heat of the day.  I doubt we do that as Jim is not a morning person.  I’m not much help right now anyways.

Wednesday I have to be at the doctor in Wichita at 11:00 for my two week check up.  We will go to Stillwater after that appointment and I am spending the next two weeks there.  The house sitter is coming in Wednesday afternoon for two weeks.  I may be able to relax more there as I won’t see so many things I need to take care of while I am at his house.  So looking forward to becoming partial weight bearing after my appointment Wednesday.

I best be getting things started for dinner.  It seems to take me twice as long to do anything right now as I am not very efficient in my movements.  It is so hot out today I am glad to be able to stay inside and do things.

Grateful my physical is done for another year, grateful for positive changes in my blood test results, and grateful the bedroom is cleaned and ready to go.

Had a bit of excitement on the deck last night.  The kiddos staying here for the weekend and went out and ran back in and told me there was a snake on the deck.  We went out and checked it out.  It was a four foot long bull snake.  They are harmless although this one was hissing at us.  Jim got a rake and the snake wrapped around it and he carried it out to the back pasture.  The front yard got mowed and baled and thinking the snake lost its hiding place in the yard.

The guests are having a good time.  They sat around the fire pit last night for a couple of hours and made s’mores and watched the stars come out.  They all slept in this morning.  The girls made French toast and scrambled eggs for breakfast for everyone.  They were fun to watch cook.  They are high school age although they both look younger to me.  This afternoon the whole family went to the Prairie Preserve and did the bus tour and then went into Emporia to the disc golf store.  This evening they are in Wichita so the girls can go to a concert and the guys are playing disc golf.

Tomorrow I have a physical in Emporia at 10:00 and then have some friends coming for dinner and a guest checking in tomorrow evening.  I will have three bedrooms to clean up tomorrow and a dinner to fix.  Thankfully nothing is on the calendar for Tuesday so I can rest.  Wednesday I go back to the surgeon for a follow up visit and then will go to Stillwater for two weeks.  I found a house sitter so things should be under control here.

My foot is still healing.  I took a pain pill last night as it was cranky yesterday.  It is still a bit swollen but better than it was.  The boot is big and heavy and it is hard to elevate my foot.  I am hoping Wednesday that the doctor will give me approval to start putting a bit of weight on my foot.  I think she said something about using a crutch and sharing the weight between the crutch and my foot.  I will get the stitches out which will allow me to not have to use the cast cover when I shower and bathe.

Had a strong thunderstorm come through overnight.  It lasted several hours which is a bit unusual.  I was grateful for the rain we got as I had huge cracks in my yard.  My rain gauge is down due to the deck project so don’t know how much rain I got.  Guessing over an inch and maybe closer to two.

Grateful for pain pills when I need them, grateful for a healing foot, and grateful for the rain the prairie received.

It has been a busy couple of days.  Jim and I have gotten lots of yard work done.  The guys came to mow and bale the front yard.  I mowed the big part of the yard yesterday and today.  I had to mow the tall grass between what I normally mow and what the guys are able to bale.  It is dusty, icky mowing but I got most of it done.

We got the bedrooms downstairs made up and ready for our guests to arrive tomorrow late afternoon.  Found lots of dead spiders which is normal – just glad they were dead!

My foot is healing.  The boot is so so big and heavy I keep getting tempted to put weight on my foot.  I will be able to put partial weight on it starting next Wednesday. It is a lot more swollen since I got the boot as it is hard to prop up, especially at night in bed when I am wearing the boot.  Haven’t taken any more pain pills for several days now.  I do take some ibuprofen once or twice a day which is enough to knock the edge off the uncomfortable feeling in my foot.

The PA showed me something called EvenUp and recommended I get one.  I wear a tennis shoe on my good foot and the EvenUp is an attachment to my tennis shoe that makes that foot level with the boot.  The scooter is a lot easier to run with the attachment on my shoe.  The only problem is that bunion is now cranky because I have been wearing a shoe most of the time.

Still not a pro with the crutches yet but am getting better.  The scooter works better most of the time for me.  I do get frustrated with it as it does not turn very tightly.  I do a lot of 12 point turns.  I keep reminding myself to work with it and not get frustrated.  When I can do that it is easier.

Took my bath for the day when I came in from mowing today.  I was dusty and dirty with dirt in places in didn’t belong.  My boot had lots of its of grass stuck to it on the Velcro straps.  Wonder what the foot doctor will say when he sees that?

It did feel good to be productive and feel good enough to get out and mow and clean the basement.  One can only sit and do nothing for so long!!!

Jim has been working hard helping me get the outside of the house looking good.  He even washed the outside of the windows downstairs as they had lots of bird poo on them.  He found rotted wood on the deck landing and is replacing that.  The drainage needs improved around the deck below and he is working on that.

Grateful to be able to mow yesterday and today, grateful the tall grass is now in big round bales of hay, and grateful for all of Jim’s help.

Mixed news from the surgeon today.  I got put into a boot!  But!  I still have to be non-weight bearing for another week.  It felt so good to get the dressing taken off.  My foot is a bit swollen and very black and blue and yellow.  The incision looks good and is healing well.  They will take out the stitches next week.

They took more x-rays today.  I have one pin in my big toe and two in the bone below it.  Basically the doctor broke two bones and screwed them back together again.  Everything looked like they expected it to look today.

The PA was amazed I am off pain pills already.  She did warn me that I have lots of healing to do and it will take lots of time.  One more week of non-weight bearing and then four weeks of partial weight bearing.  She said the six weeks after that will seem long as it may take that long before I am pain free in walking with full weight.

I have to do twice weekly physical therapy starting next week.  Not sure how I am going to do that since I will be in Stillwater next Wednesday for two weeks and then back to Strong City for two weeks.  May have to drive to Wichita twice a week as that is about half way between Stillwater and Strong City.  She said I may only need PT for two weeks.  Guess I’ll figure that out what and where next week.

I realized today I won’t be able to do chicken chores for five more weeks.  I won’t be able to carry a five gallon bucket of water if I can’t be full weight bearing.  I hadn’t counted on it taking that long.  May have to get creative to find a solution to that problem.  Anyone want to move in with me?

I have guests coming Saturday that are staying until Monday.  I had been hoping I could get downstairs and do some cleaning but that isn’t going to happen.  I may have Jim drive me around to the back door downstairs and I can get in without doing the steps.  Jim offered to make the bed and do the floors.  I had cleaned downstairs before surgery but my intern was still here and I didn’t get his room cleaned good after he moved out.  Good thing the guests coming are easy guests and won’t notice a bit of dust.

I took a nap when we got home.  Going out still wears me out!  I didn’t sleep well last night as I had taken too long of a nap yesterday.  Hoping the shorter nap I took today won’t prevent me from sleeping tonight.

Feeling a bit discouraged today.  While my foot is healing well I realized how long this process is going to be and then I get to repeat it!  The neuroma surgery was much easier and healing went faster. At least that is my memory of it.

The boot is heavy and my foot is in a new position so it is cranky today.  At least I get to take the boot off two or three times a day so I can rotate my foot around.  I do have a dressing on it yet that can’t get wet or be removed.  Not sure my shower cover will fit over the boot so may take the boot off for my shower and bath time and rotate my foot then.

The boot is thick and is creating problems with the scooter.  Trying to figure out how to raise my knee higher so it is more comfortable when riding on the scooter.  I am trying to use the crutches more but I am still unstable on them.

The PA recommended I order a device called EvenIt.  I put it on the bottom of my good foot’s shoe and it raises that foot up so I walk level with the boot.  It is to prevent hip problems with the uneven leg length due to the boot.  Oh the things they make these days!

And this too shall pass……  Healing takes time…….  Thinking about hiking without foot pain next spring.

Grateful to have the dressing removed today, grateful the foot is healing on schedule, and grateful for Jim’s presence and assistance.

Went to the dentist this morning to see what the game plan is to fix my broken tooth.  To my surprise and delight she said it only needed filled and not a cap.  And she had time to fix it today!  I was glad to get it fixed and I didn’t get dentist anxiety as she fixed it today.  The numbness has finally worn off and I was able to eat dinner tonight.

When the dentist told me I needed a filling she asked if I needed it done at no or reduced cost.  I had met her at the Vo-Tech when she filled a tooth for me there at no cost.  I told her I had resources and was able to pay.  I so appreciate the fact that she offers free or reduced services to her patients.  She is a very gentle dentist and was very attentive to my pain levels and quickly added more medication when she hit a sensitive spot.  Her office staff were very good too.

Stopped by to see Tim after the dentist.  He looks better but still has a long ways to go in his healing.  Not sure they have figured out a final plan for healing yet.

The internet company I am signing up with needed a notarized signature from me so we went to my real estate office to get that done.  The lady that does that for me was out to lunch so went to the bank next door and they were able to take care of it for me.

Stopped at Walmart and got a few groceries.  Man!  I was tired by the time I got through the whole store.  The scooter made it fairly easy but my knee was sore from having it on the scooter for so long and the other leg was sore from moving the scooter.  I sure got starred at a lot and several people made comments about the scooter.  I wonder if people think I couldn’t hear them as they talked about me as I scooted past them.  Maybe I was invisible today.

Came home and took a nap in my recliner.  Moving around that much wore me out!

Fixed tacos for dinner tonight and made Jim another peach cobbler.

It is still hot and muggy outside.  The humidity levels are off the charts!  I am ready for it to cool down a bit.

Tomorrow I have to be at my surgeon’s office at 11:00 to get my dressing changed and hopefully be put into a boot.  My foot has not been cranky today like it was yesterday.  It will be good to be able to wash my leg between dressing changes tomorrow.  It has been itchy lately under the dressing wrap.

Jim had to get the scooter in and out of his car ten times today.  He had driven his Element as it is easier for me to get in and out of and easier to get the scooter in and out of.  He took my trash can down to the curb today as well as took care of the critters.  Not sure I could have gotten through all of this without his help.

Grateful for a gentle dentist that offered great care and was able to fix my broken tooth today, grateful for the exercise I got today getting out and about, and grateful for naps that restore my energy level.

 

Broke down and took a pain pill last night.  I slept really good as a result.  My foot has been cranky today so guessing I will take another one before bed tonight.  I don’t like taking pain pills during the day time hours as they make me too sleepy.

A lady came by the house today to get a tour.  She teaches Donna Eden Energy classes and is looking for a place to teach her classes.  Not sure if she will book or not.  She was a nice lady and will be fun to work with if she does.  I held my ground and told her I would not fix or clean up from meals.  That is too much work!

Jim has been cleaning out my garage.  It is too hot to sand on the west side deck.  He is finding all sorts of treasures in the garage.  Not sure I will be able to find anything when he is done but that is OK.  It will be nice to have an organized, clean garage.

Sat out last night for several hours looking for Persoid Meteors.  Saw one about every 20 minutes or so.  They weren’t very big or bright.  The moon is almost full and once it came out it dimmed the stars enough that we couldn’t see the meteors.  Tonight is to be the peak viewing night so will look again tonight.  After I went to bed Jim sat out for another couple of hours.  He enjoyed watching the thunderstorms to the west of us put on a lightning show.

Finished the embroidery on a tea towel yesterday and when I took it off the hoop realized there was a flaw in the material and the towel has a small tear in it.  Hate when that happens.  I’ll have to stamp another towel and redo it.  I have one set almost finished.

Got the paperwork from the new internet company today.  I have to have my signature notarized so will take care of that tomorrow when I go into town for my dentist appointment.

I’ll be glad when I go back to the surgeon’s office Wednesday for a dressing change.  My leg has been itching underneath the dressing.  Sure hoping for a walking boot Wednesday but it may be another week before I get one.

Put a plastic coffee table in the bath tub last night when I took my bath to prop my leg on.  It worked well!  A bath feels so good to relax in every evening.  It is a bit tricky to get in and out of the deep tub but I have figured out how to do so.  Grateful for the cast cover I found at Walgreen’s.  It has worked well to keep my dressing dry when I shower and take a bath.

Feeling a bit cranky today.  Everything I do is such an effort.  Feels like the healing is going smoothly though and I know this won’t last forever.  Sure makes me grateful for my health and mobility under normal circumstances.

Grateful for pain pills and a good night’s sleep, grateful for a clean garage, and grateful for a beautiful night sky.

No pain pills yesterday!  So far none today although I almost took one during the night.  My foot felt like a weather indicator and ached before the rain finally came and gave me some relief.

My other foot has a black and blue mark on the side where I keep running over it with the wheels on my scooter.  Maybe I should be wearing my tennis shoe on that foot to protect it.  When I put ice on my surgery foot I have been leaning the good foot against the ice to calm it down.

Jim went into Emporia to go to church this morning and run some errands afterwards.  I decided not to try church as it has lots of steps to get into the sanctuary and I am very unstable on crutches yet – especially doing steps.

Am working on doing some laundry.  Figured out I can pull the dirty clothes basket while I am on my scooter.  Have the intern’s bedding washed up.  Jim had carried it upstairs for me.  Now working on my laundry.  At least I feel like I am getting something done.  I mainly sit in my chair and do some embroidery work and look at all the things I wished I could be doing.

Not sure what we are doing this afternoon.  Jim was hoping to get outside and sand on the deck.  He is going to get some boards in town and replace a couple on the front steps.  Guess I will stay inside where it is cool and sit and watch.

My neighbor told me about her internet provider.  I called the provider and they did an evaluation and decided I qualified for their service.  They are to send me some paperwork to complete and when they get it back will schedule an install.  I trust this new service will be more predictable and faster than my current service.  I can’t watch movies now as they spend more time downloading than playing.  Tim is selling boxes that act like a cable box for a one time charge.  Jim enjoys watching the news and I would like to have a TV for him to be able to do that without having to purchase cable vision.  Crossing my fingers that this solution will work.

Still haven’t heard from the second solar panel company.  I need to get a second bid to make sure that the first company is in the ball park with their estimate.  I’ll try to call them again Monday and see if I can get hold of them.  The glass company hasn’t bothered to call me back yet either.  I don’t have anything else to do Monday so maybe I can get things moving on both of these issues.

Getting bored with sitting but knowing that is what my foot demands right now.  It is starting to itch a bit so I know it is healing.  I look forward to Wednesday when I can get the dressing changed and see what it looks like.  I can tell my toes are black and blue.  They don’t look as swollen as they did after surgery.  Swelling slows healing down so doing my best to stay off of it as much as possible.  If I am on my scooter too long it starts to ache from hanging over the scooter.

Grateful for the healing power of ice, grateful for my scooter that allows me to get around fairly easily, and grateful for all the care Jim is providing me.

 

Only took the one pain pill yesterday morning and haven’t taken any today so far.  Pain is minimal and when it hits if I elevate my foot and put ice on it I can handle it.  I did take some ibuprofen once today as that seems to help.

Went into Emporia late morning.  Needed to deposit a check at the bank and then went to see the grandkids.  Tim broke his elbow yesterday at work so we were checking in with him to see if he needed anything.  Ended up taking the two grandkids to Freddie’s for lunch.  They ate well and behaved themselves.  Brought Tim home a hamburger and then we came home.  I wasn’t up to picking up a few things I have on my list of things I need.

I was exhausted when we got home.  My foot was a bit sore from the adventure out.  I laid down for a bit when we got home and iced it and it feels better now.  I never did go to sleep but it felt good to stretch out and rest my leg and foot.

I’ve finished three tea towels so far and am working on the fourth one.  Sitting and doing nothing is not my style!  My foot seems to feel best though when I have it propped up on my chair and I stay off of it.  It is hard to carry anything and control the scooter at the same time.

Am sure hoping Wednesday I will get put in a boot and will be able to go to partial weight bearing.  The doctor said that would happen at either the first or second week appointment.  As far as I can tell the swelling is minimal which will help expedite the healing.

Tuesday I have a dentist appointment to see what needs to be done to the tooth I chipped over a month ago.  This appointment is only an evaluation and not a fix it appointment.  Wednesday I go to to Wichita for my one week appointment to get the dressing changed and the incision checked.

So far!  So good!  It has been less painful than I expected.  I managed to get in and out of the bath tub last night.  It felt so good to soak in the hot water of the bath last night.  I managed to sleep almost all night long without the assistance of pain pills.  That is amazing for me.  My head is clearing up a bit from the effects of the drugs that have been put through my system.  My muscles are adjusting to the different movements I make getting around.  Everything still seems like a struggle to do but I am adapting.

Grateful for Jim’s presence and help, grateful to see the grandkids today, and grateful for a bath last night.

 

Day two went well.  I didn’t take a pain pill until early afternoon yesterday.  I went outside with my scooter and when I come back inside I hit a bump on the floor and my leg fell off the scooter and my hurt foot bumped the floor.  OUCH!  Had to take another pain pill after that!

Only took four pain pills yesterday all together.  Not bad for the second day.  Took two before I went to bed last night and I was able to get some good sleep.

Woke up in pain this morning though.  I got up and took a pain pill and then went back to bed.  Woke up two hours later feeling a bit light headed.  I had forgotten to eat something when I took the pain pill.  I took a shower and then ate some breakfast at lunch time.  I’m still a bit light headed but feeling a bit better.  The pain is more uncomfortable today but still manageable.  Hoping I won’t need another pain pill until evening but I’ll see how the afternoon goes.

I haven’t had much of an appetite which is normal for me when I have pain.  I’ll try to do a better job of eating a ittle protein several times during the day today and see if that helps.

Something like this sure makes me aware of how lucky I am to have good health.  Everything right now is such an effort.  I am rather limited as to what I can do.  So grateful this is a temporary thing!

Jim continues to take good care of me.  I’m lucky to have him here.

Sitting, resting, doing a bit of embroidery work, healing, and practicing patience.  That is my day today!

Grateful for pain pills, grateful for Jim’s presence, and grateful for all my friends and family that call and check on me and all the prayers of healing being sent on my behalf.  I appreciate every one of you!

Had to get up at 4:00 this morning so we could be on the road by 4:30.  Arrived at the surgery center at 5:50.  They took me back to the room and got me prepped and ready for surgery.  I think it was around 7:00 when they wheeled me back to the OR.  They gave me some happy juice and I don’t remember leaving the prep room.

By 8:00 I was done and Jim was back with me.  I had the shakes after surgery.  That has happened to me before.  Reminded me of drinking San Juan medicine in Peru.  They finally gave me enough stuff to get the shakes under control and by 9:30 we were out the door and headed home.

Stopped by the pharmacy in Emporia to get my pain pills.  It was going to take them 45 minutes of fill the prescription so Jim took me home and went back into town to pick it up later.

The pain has been rather minimal so far.  I refused the complete block as the anesthesia doctor said it was optional and said she could do it in recovery if my pain was high.  It wasn’t so it wasn’t given to me.  The surgeon numbed the area and he said it would last about eight hours.  I still can’t feel my toes that are peeking out from the dressing.  The only pain I have is if I wiggle my toes.

Anticipating that tomorrow and Friday may be a bit rougher but so far so good.  I have kept it elevated and an ice pack on it most of the afternoon.  We both took a long nap this afternoon to make up for the short amount we got last night.  Trusting the pain pills will not wire me too much and I will be able to sleep tonight.

I ate a bit of dinner tonight.  Had to eat a cracker and some applesauce before they would let me leave this morning.  I tend to not be hungry after a procedure and honored that most of the day. I have been drinking lots to try to wash the drugs out of my system.

The knee scooter is working well.  I managed to get up the steps to come into the house using the crutches when I got home.  I try to remember to get up and scoot around a bit every 30 minutes or so if I am not trying to sleep.

This process will be another good test of my patience.  It is hard to sit and not do anything.  Maybe tomorrow I will do some embroidery or knitting while I am sitting.

Jim is taking good care of me.  I appreciate him being here and so willing to do whatever needs done.

Grateful surgery is over and all is well, grateful for my knee scooter, and grateful for all the expressions of love my friends and family have been sharing with me.

Jim will be arriving in about 15 minutes so will need to keep this short tonight.

The surgery center called me this afternoon and told me I will be Dr. Morgan’s first patient of the day and I need to be at the surgery center in Wichita at 6:00 in the morning.  Yuck!  Good thing they will give me drugs and I should be able to sleep most of the day when I get home.  We will have to leave around 4:30.  Maybe I will just stay up all night.  4:30 is about the time Jim usually goes to bed.

Went in to Emporia this morning to get an alignment and have new tires put on my car.  They did the alignment and told me I was good to go.  I went to the grocery store and as I was leaving got a phone call.  The tire store had a miscommunication glitch and  the new tires were not put on!  Went back to the tire store.  They pulled four guys off whatever they were doing and got my tires put on in record time.  They were embarrassed!

Came home and have worked off and on all afternoon on cleaning house.  Put fresh sheets on my bed, dusted, and straighten things up.  I didn’t get all the floors done but they look better than they did.  Ended up going outside and mowing instead of mopping floors.  I needed to move my body and work out some anxiousness about surgery tomorrow.  Just came in from mowing and I am dusty and dirty.  I didn’t have to mow all the yard this time.  It does look better.

Left messages with both the second solar energy panel company and the glass company.  Why won’t these people call me back?  Wish there were more options of companies to deal with.

Have a pot roast in the crock pot.  The house smells so good.  Jim loves peach cobbler so made him a cobbler.  It smells good too.

Grateful Jim will be here soon, grateful surgery day is almost here so I can get that over with, and grateful for new tires on my car.

I was up early and getting ready to go into Emporia to get my haircut when  I checked email and a friend who is moving posted she needed some things taken to Emporia to give away.  I went into Strong City and picked up her things and then went into Emporia.  Stopped at Goodwill to drop some of her stuff off and took the rest to the East Emporia Vet Clinic.  They were thrilled to get some used linens.

Stopped and filled my car with gas, went to the grocery store to get some Pectin so I can make peach jam tomorrow, exchanged my small propane tank for one that was full, went to the post office to mail three packages, stopped to see my real estate partner and finally made it to get my hair cut.

After my hair cut I stopped and picked up Ellexia so I could spend some time with her.  We made a quick stop at Taco Bell to get her something to eat and then came home.  We baked snickerdoodle cookies.  She rolled them in the cinnamon sugar mixture.  My kitchen floor is a bit sticky yet but we had fun!  She taste tested the cookies for me and said they were good.  She took home half of them to share.

She wanted green beans for lunch so I taught her how to make them with bacon and onion.  She ate the whole can of them.

While she was here my Camino friends from CA called me via FaceTime.  It is always a good day when I get to talk to Carolyn and Tom.  Tom warned me to be very patient with the amount of time it will take to heal from my bunion surgery.

After Tim came to get Ellexia I laid down for a bit and took a short nap.  I had fallen asleep earlier sitting in my chair.  I don’t think I slept long this afternoon but it helped give me some energy.

The chickens had managed to knock over their water container and they were totally out of water when I went down to do chores.  Not sure how they knocked it over as it was full yesterday and rather heavy.  It is a three gallon container.  Silly girls!

I had gotten a pair of hair clippers and was going to cut the hair around Sophia’s neck where her electronic collar goes.  That didn’t work well.  Her hair is way too thick for the clippers.  One short swipe and the clippers would clog up.  I took a pair of scissors and cut her hair  It looks like a kid that cut their own bangs but I think I got enough in the right places so the contact points can actually touch skin so she will stay in her boundaries.

I only got one of my phone calls made today.  I am exploring internet options and the company I left a message with called me back.  I had to call them back as they called while I was getting my hair cut.  They are checking to see if they have room available on their tower.  Not sure what that means but she said it would take them a day or two to check.  My neighbor uses them and likes their service.  It is about half of what I am paying now and my service is very slow at times.

No surprise that the glass company didn’t call me today.  I will try to call them tomorrow and find out what is going on.  I didn’t hear from the solar panel company that I requested a bid from either.  Wonder why it is so hard for companies to get back to potential customers.

Tomorrow I need to do the floors on the main level and clean the upstairs bathrooms and then I think my list of thing to do before surgery is complete.  I have to go to town in the morning to get new tires put on my car.  The appointment may take up to two hours.  I need to remember to take a book or knitting with me.  Anyone want to come to Mel’s Tires in the morning and sit and visit for a bit.  My appointment is at 9:30.  Maybe I can get some phone calls made while I am waiting.

Jim is coming tomorrow late afternoon.  He is going to be here for two weeks while I am non-weight bearing and take care of me and do my chores.  I have a long list of things that need fixed.  He may need more than two weeks to get it all done!  If I don’t need physical therapy I plan on going to OK with him for two weeks after my second follow up doctor’s appointment.  I will probably stay off my foot more at his house than I will here.  It will be good to see him tomorrow.  I haven’t seen him for two weeks.

My feet ached last night.  I realized I had worn my tennis shoes all day yesterday and  my bunions don’t like being confined all day in a pair of shoes.  I had put my tennis shoes on to go out and paint and didn’t think to take them off all day.  I can’t put my anti inflammatory cream on them this close to surgery so had to tough it out last night.  I’ll be glad when they are both fixed and the pain is gone.

Grateful for the time I had with Ellexia today, grateful for the call from Carolyn and Tom today, and grateful I got Sophia’s hair cut without cutting her skin.

Had a beautiful drumming circle last night.  Seven of us gathered and sent love and peace out into the world.  Five of the seven had never experienced a drumming circle before.  I trust they will come again sometime.  It was a perfect night to sit out and watch the sunset and the stars come out.  It was nice and cool with a gentle breeze.  The only problem was the June bugs that jumped into the fire pit.

Two of the drummers stayed overnight.  We stayed up until midnight visiting.  He is one of my disc golf guests that have stayed with me for two years.  He and his wife and their family house sat for me a weekend while I was in CO.  I enjoy their company.

Went out and painted for two hours this morning.  I may go back out this evening when I get done writing and do some more.  Jim is going to sand the steps and hand rails so I can’t paint them.  I think I can find lots more of the deck that needs painted and not sanded.  Sure will be glad when that project is done.  Seems like we started it a long time ago.  I got the long support beam done up to the point where I don’t know how to set the ladder so I can get to it.  Maybe when I go out tonight a solution will present itself to me.  I need to weed wack yet so may end of doing that instead.

Two more full days before surgery.  My list of things I want to get done pre surgery is getting smaller so thinking I will get it all done the next two days.  I have a haircut in the morning and will run a few errands while I am in Emporia and cross a few more things off my list.  Still need to learn how to do steps with the crutches.  I hate those damn things.  I am getting around really well with the scooter.  I have learned how to get in and out of my chair and get on and off the scooter without using my left foot.  Practiced getting out of the bath tub last night without using my left foot.  I almost was successful!

Have some phone calls to make tomorrow.  Trusting it will be a day when I can talk on the phone.  Sometimes that seems too hard to do for some reason.

Laid down for a bit this afternoon but couldn’t go to sleep.  I slept for about four hours last night – not bad for me.  I feel tired today and thought a nap sounded good but as soon as I laid down I woke up.  Maybe I need to learn how to sleep standing up.

One of my guests from last December called me today.  He was cleaning something and found my business card and decided to call to say hi.  One of the guys that stayed with me for several months last summer called earlier this week.  My favorite part of hosting an AIRBNB is the people I get to meet.  I love when guests leave as friends.

This is my student intern’s last week here.  He has kept to himself most of the time so I have forgotten he is in the house most of the time.  I’m grateful he was here while I was gone so I had a house sitter.

I stamped three more sets of tea towels so I will have something to do while I can’t get around much.  Doing hand work will make the time go by quicker.  I also got some more dish rag yarn so I have those to make up if I need a different project.  May not get any of it made and that’s OK too.

Just remembered I haven’t done my chicken chores today.  Best get down there before the slackers go on strike.  I got two fairy eggs last week.  They aren’t good for much but they do make me smile when I see one.

Grateful for the beautiful drumming circle last night, grateful when my guests become friends, and grateful in 48 hours Jim will be here.

 

I am tired!  I don’t think I got even three hours of sleep last night and that wasn’t three hours straight.  There was a storm a brewing outside most of the night and I think there was a storm a brewing inside me too.  I finally had a good cry around 4:30 and was able to sleep for a bit after that.  I wasn’t even sure at the time why I was crying.

Not sure how much rain we got overnight.  The forecast is calling for more rain this evening and into tomorrow.  I haven’t done my chicken chores yet so haven’t been outside today to see how wet the ground is.

I painted the hall closet that had been treated for mold sometime ago.  I rearranged some tubs in the furnace room and moved some to the hall closet.  Now I can find what I am looking for downstairs.  Feels good to have that project crossed off my list.

While I was painting I decided to paint over some water spots on the ceiling in three rooms.  The paint is not covering the water stains in the mater bedroom.  I have put two coats on so far and I can still see the outer edge of the stain.  May need to put some Kilz paint on it and then the ceiling white.  The ceiling white paint covered the stains in the guest bedroom.  The stain in the kitchen showed through too and needs another coat of something on it.

I called the Rural Electric Company to find out what the process is if I decide to have solar energy panels installed.  There is an application that I need to complete before the work begins so they can ensure the system can handle what is being installed.  I have to pay a $500 fee to have the inspection and for them to make the connection with a new electric meter.  While I was talking to the lady I ask her for a recommendation of a company as I want to get a second bid.  She gave me the name of a company out of Haven, KS.  I got on there website and requested a bid.  Still not 100% sure I am going to do this but want to get as much information as I can.

My accountant called back and told me the 30% tax credit ends in 2019.  If I don’t have enough taxes to use all the credit this year the credit rolls into the next year and the next  indefinitely until I use it up.  As of right now Congress has not authorized an extension fo the tax credit into 2020 and beyond.

I didn’t hear back from the glass company about the window that may or may not have been ordered.  Thinking I need to find another company and have someone else that knows how to communicate do the job.  Wonder why they can’t return a call when they said they would.

Tomorrow I need to go into Emporia in the morning.  I need to pick up some groceries I forgot yesterday and I want to get some peaches from the fruit stand that gets them from CO.  I have time to make a batch or two of peach jam before I have surgery Wednesday.

Tomorrow night is the drumming circle.  Come if you can!  We will start gathering around 7:00 and will start drumming at 7:30.  If it is raining we will drum inside.  Forecast shows it is to stop by evening so we will see what happens.  Should be a pleasant evening to sit outside if it isn’t raining.

While I was in town yesterday I looked for an oil drip pan at Walmart which is where I had gotten the ones I use now from.  Walmart no longer carries them so I ordered one from Amazon last night when I couldn’t sleep.  I also ordered a compost collection bucket for the kitchen.  My chickens and dogs eat most of my food scraps but neither will eat citrus fruit, onions or spicy veggies like peppers or asparagus.  Jim is going to make a compost pile for me in the garden plot.

I have four packages I need to box up this evening and take to the post office tomorrow.  While I was downstairs rearranging the totes in the basement I found the items I needed to mail.  It will be good to have one more thing crossed off my to do list.

I have spent the day at home alone.  One of those days where out of concern for the safety of the public I have kept myself in time-out.  I was not in the mood to people today.  I was surprised I was able to talk on the phone a couple times today.  Betting I will go to bed early tonight if I think I can sleep.  I hate nights like last night.

Grateful to have the hall closet painted and totes moved into it, grateful to be crossing things off my to do list, and grateful for tears that help release emotion.

Slept lots again last night.  I woke up a lot but was able to go back to sleep most of the times without much delay.  Grateful for some good sleep!

Went out to paint this morning.  The wind was a bit strong so I did low painting today and stayed off the high ladder.  It is to rain most of the day tomorrow so maybe Sunday or Monday I will get back out there and get the high stuff done.

Went into Emporia after I cleaned up from painting.  Took my car to get my tires rotated and found out I need new tires.  I go back next Tuesday morning to have them aligned and new tires put on.  Really hadn’t budgeted for that expense but need to get it done before winter.

Went to Walmart after my tires were rotated and picked up a few things.  Couldn’t find two things on my list and forgot two other things that were on my list.  I did find some boys shorts on sale so got four pairs of those to wear after surgery.  I had some sweat pants but decided it was going to be too hot for sweat pants.  I will go back to town Saturday and see if I can find the two things I couldn’t find at another store and get the two things I forgot.  CO peaches are to be here Saturday and I want to get a box to make some peach jam.

Finally got the bid from the contractor that is going to rebuild my retaining walls in the back yard.  OUCH!  They have to get done so I am going to have to suck it up and pay.  He is to work me in over the next month and get them fixed.  It will be good to get that project crossed off my list.  It has been on my list for almost two years.

Called the glass people about the window they are to be replacing.  They haven’t called me back.  I’m almost ready to find another company to deal with.  This companies communication is very poor and I’m tired of nagging them.  I don’t trust what they tell me when they finally tell me something.

We are getting a few sprinkles on the prairie this afternoon.  Trusting we will get several inches of rain over the next two days.  There are deep cracks in my yard that need filled with water.  The forecast is showing the possibilities of some rain.  Trust the storms won’t bypass me like the storms the other day did.

Kathy told me she is coming for two weeks the end of September.  She also said Gene might fly out and stay for a bit and return to MA with Kathy when she drives back.  It  would be nice to have both of them here for a bit.  I haven’t seen Gene for over three years.

A friend of a friend called me today and wants to come see the house.  This lady wants to hold a retreat in the Flint Hills.  Not sure what her story is yet and when she is looking to hold a retreat or what type of retreat she wants to do.  I called her back and left a message but she hasn’t called me back.  I appreciate the referral from my friend.

Called my accountant and asked him some questions about the solar energy tax credit.  He is to investigate and call me back the first of the week.

Feels like I have lots of little projects in the works right now.  I’m waiting on several people to give me more information so I can proceed to get things crossed off my to do list.  I have delayed doing some home repairs and need to get caught up.

Got a fairy egg from my chickens today.  I always smile when I see one.  They aren’t good for anything but they do make me smile.  Only got one other real egg from the chickens today – the slackers!  They aren’t eating as much food as they should be.  Not sure what is up with that.

Waiting for the mood to clean house to come over me.  I have guests coming Saturday night and need to do some cleaning.  My get up and go got up and left me behind.  Having trouble getting motivated to do much the last few days.  I’m not as tired this afternoon as I was yesterday but still not back to 100% energy level.  Wonder if the pneumonia vaccine I got Tuesday morning knocked me down for a bit?  My body reacts weirdly to medications.

Grateful to have gotten some more painting done today, grateful I found some shorts on sale that will work for post surgery days, and grateful for the fairy egg that makes me smile.

 

 

Finally got some painting on the deck done today.  I did one long support beam using the tall ladder and a few more that I could reach from the ground.  I’ll get out again in the morning and do some more ladder work.  It feels good to have made some progress on that project.

I have felt off all day today.  My eyes were doing something weird this morning and this afternoon I have felt tired.  I was sitting in my chair  earlier and realized I had tears running down my face.  Not sure where they came from or why I was crying.  There is some strong energy in the world right now and it feels like I may have tapped into some of that.  Tonight is the new black moon and the energy is to be shifting and lightning up a bit in the next few days.  I trust that will happen!

I didn’t get much else done today besides painting.  I had no energy to do anything this afternoon so I laid down for a bit.  Never did go to sleep but it felt good to stretch out on my bed.  My back pain from yesterday is gone today thank heavens.  I may have been a bit dehydrated as I had forgotten to drink water yesterday.  I have been drinking as much as I can possibly get down today.  Feeling a bit better this evening.

I am having a drumming circle Saturday evening.  We will gather at 7:00 and start drumming at 7:30 and drum until the sun goes down at 8:36.  The intention we will send out is peace and love into the world.  There is so much chaos happening in the world and the division between us and them seems deep.  I forget I have more in common with the other side than I do our differences.  Hosting the drumming circle is my small part of building a bridge between the sides.

Come if you can!  Bring a drum if you have one.  I have extra drums if you don’t have one.  Bring an adult beverage if you want one.  I’ll provide iced tea and water.

I have two of the beds spoken for for the evening.  Still have two or three beds available if you are coming from out of town and want to stay over.  Let me know if you want a bed and I will save one for you.

A week from today is my bunion surgery.  I still have a lot of things I need to get done before that.  Trying to figure out a grocery list that will tide me over until I can drive again.  Not sure how long that will be – probably at least one week if not two.  Jim will be here with me so I can send him to the store if needed.

Hosting the drumming circle will help motivate me to get my house cleaned.  I have guests coming mid August that I need to prepare for and I haven’t found the motivation to do so.  I don’t want to think about having to go down all my stairs on crutches so need to get the rooms ready early.

Anyone have experience with solar panels on their house.  We are looking in to putting some on and would love to have a recommendation of someone that does a good job putting them on.  I got one bid but the guy had trouble identifying my house on his bid.  It took him three tries to get it right.  If he can’t get that right can he install the panels correctly?  If I have the work done I will have the panels put on the barn roof instead of the house roof.

Tomorrow I need to go to town and pick up a few things.  It was good to stay home all day today and be by myself.  I haven’t talked to anyone today except Jason.  He called me earlier.  I love days like today.  It was a good day to be alone as I have been a bit grumpy all day.

Tomorrow I need to make a few phone calls and follow up on two contractors plus check with my accountant about a question on the solar panels energy credit.  I wasn’t in the mood to make phone calls today.  Some days I don’t people well.

Grateful for the painting I got done today, grateful this day is almost over, and grateful for the upcoming drumming circle.

 

Went into Emporia this morning for my pre op exam.  I got cleared for surgery.  My blood pressure was good and all labs except for the BUN level and TSH were within normal limits.  I ended up agreeing to get the pneumonia vaccine today and he sent a script to the pharmacy for the shingles vaccine.  He reduced the dosage on one of my medications which I always like to have happen.  I go back to my family doctor August 19 for my annual physical.  He will check my Vitamin D and cholesterol levels then.

Stopped at Staples and got a toner cartridge and than came home.  When I got home a friend was here with a friend of hers.  Her friend is looking for a place to stay for the winter.  I gave her a tour of my house.  Not sure if she will want to stay here or not and I’m not sure I want someone here full time.  It is nice to have someone here so I can get away but I do love having the house to myself too.  I’ll see how things work out.

Went out and mowed for over an hour this afternoon.  I still have at least one more hour of mowing to do.  When I finish writing this I will go back out and get it done.  I’ll probably try to figure out the ladder and if successful I will do some painting this evening.  I need to get that deck project done.  It is bugging me and I won’t be able to get on a ladder for six to eight weeks after surgery next week.

I have had some strong lower back pain today.  It started yesterday when I was unloading the car from the stuff I got in KC.  It didn’t hurt over night but started again after I left the doctor’s office today.  Not sure what is up with that.  It was strong enough for a bit to make me think I had a kidney stone.  I laid down for a bit and the pain diminished after I took some ibuprofen.  It wouldn’t have gone away if it was a kidney stone.  I must have twisted or lifted something wrong yesterday.  It is better this afternoon so maybe it will be gone by tomorrow.

Tomorrow is an empty space day for me at last!  It feels like it has been a bit since I have had one.  I don’t have anything else on my calendar until Monday so I will get a string of them.  Yay!  I have a long list of things I would like to get done before surgery so should have plenty of time to get it all done.

I got a bit more sleep last night than I have been getting but doubt I got more than four hours.  I slept for about one hour and than would wake up for an hour and repeated that cycle all night long.  Sure makes for a long night when that happens.  It has been an it since I got a good night’s sleep.  I am tired again this afternoon but am not going to take a nap and start that cycle again.

Feeling like I am forgetting to do something important but I have no idea what that might be.  I keep checking my to do list and nothing stands out to me.  Wonder what if anything I am forgetting to take care.  Guess if it is important I will know soon enough.  I keep feeling a sense of hurry up which is unusual for me.

Grateful for a healthy body, grateful the back pain is better this afternoon, and grateful for a string of empty space days ahead of me.

 

 

 

Home again!  I left this morning at 8:15 for KC and got home this evening a little after 8:00.  It was a long day but a fun one.

I started the day in KC at Costco.  I hadn’t been for a bit so had a long list of things to get.  Then I went to Hy-Vee and got some diced beets and a few other things.

Met a dear friend for lunch and had a nice, long conversation.  Our third partner in crime couldn’t make it today and she was missed.

After lunch I went to see my trust attorney and signed a bunch of papers updating my will and trust.  Met another friend for coffee when I was done at the attorney’s office.  Had another wonderful conversation with her.

Ended my day in KC by having dinner with Nicole and Geoff.  We had a nice visit.  Drove home facing the sunset the whole way home.  Very little traffic and a smooth ride home.

Got the car unloaded and everything put away.  I think it may be time for a bath and bed.  I didn’t sleep much again last night.  I’ll mention that to my doctor when I see him tomorrow morning for my pre op visit.  Last night makes the third night in a row that I have had trouble getting more than three hours of sleep.  I’m tired tonight!

I have a few errands to run in Emporia after my doctor’s appointment in the morning and than I should be able to stay home for a few days.  I need to get started painting the support beam of the deck and deep cleaning my house.

Got surprised by a thunderstorm last night.  My rain gauge is still down so don’t know how much rain we got.  My weather app says we got .8 inches.  The wind blew hard for a bit and then calmed down and there was a steady, gentle rain for quite awhile.  I had some deep cracks in the yard so every drop of rain I got was much appreciated.  I love sleeping when it is raining.

Feeling a bit talked out tonight.  Had four good conversations today which is four more than I normally have during a day!  I enjoyed each one though but am not used to being around that many people in one day.  At least traffic was light on the highway and in the city today.

Grateful for my dear friends that I spent time with today, grateful for a competent and kind attorney, and grateful for safe travels today.

 

Tim called last night to see if they could come out today.  I gladly invited them to come for lunch.  I fixed meat loaf, baked potatoes and green beans.  It was good to see all four of them.  I have been gone and hadn’t seen them since I came home.

Tim and Michelle went out for a bit and the two grandkids stayed here and played.  Both were very good and we had fun.  It was a nice afternoon.

I didn’t fall asleep until after 5:00 this morning.  For some reason my head was busy last night and I felt very restless.  I finally got up around 4:30 and took another hot bath and was able to fall asleep after that.  I got up at 10:00 so I could get lunch started.  I’m really tired this evening and trust that I will be able to go to sleep at a more reasonable hour tonight.  I’m going to KC in the morning and won’t have the luxury of sleeping in.

I had planned to get up early this morning and get out and paint for a bit.  That didn’t happen!  I won’t be able to do so tomorrow either.  Tuesday I have a Doctor’s appointment at 10:30 so may be able to paint an hour or two before that.  Thankfully my calendar is clear after Tuesday so should be able to get some time on the ladder in starting Wednesday.

Ellexia enjoyed playing on my knee scooter today.  I have been practicing on it.  Still haven’t mastered getting off the scooter and into my chair on one foot.  Maybe I need to go to scooter school!

It clouded up this afternoon and felt like it might rain.  I keep checking radar but the rain seems to be going around me.  If I am really lucky I might get a few drops of rain yet tonight.  I have big cracks in my yard and could use some rain.

Had a phone call from one of my long-term boarders from last summer.  It was good to hear from Billy Bob.  He is working out in CA now and only gets home every other month or so.  What a challenge that would be.  He had to live in his truck for two weeks as he couldn’t find a place to stay.  He met a guy who knew of a place and is finally in a room with a shower.  He pays over $100 a night though!  Wow!  Maybe I should raise my rates.  We had a fun conversation.  I love when my guests become friends.

I have a long list of things I need from Costco tomorrow.  I haven’t been for a bit.  Sure wish I lived closer so I could go more often.  I like their store brand of things.  I need to remember to take a cooler with me tomorrow so I can get some cold stuff.  It will be good to see my friends and Nicole and Geoff.

Got the rooms downstairs cleaned up last night and the beds made.  Still need to do some work on the upstairs rooms but am going to wait until it is closer to surgery date to do the upstairs.  I think I can stand the dust until then.  I need to make a big grocery list and stock up on everything so I won’t have to go to the grocery store for a week or two after surgery.  Jim will be here so he can go if needed.  I might make some dishes up and freeze them so Jim won’t have to cook so much.

After I have company the house always feels so big and empty to me.  It was nice to have the kids here for a bit today.  My student intern should be back yet tonight sometime.  He doesn’t visit with me much though.  He only has two more weeks before his job commitment will be over and he will return to school.

Feeling a bit empty tonight.  I realize how much richer life is when you have someone with you to share the little things during the day.  Jim and I text back and forth during the day but it isn’t the same.

Grateful the kids came out for lunch today, grateful Billy Bob called me, and grateful I was finally able to get some sleep this morning and trusting I will get even more sleep tonight.

Got up early this morning after sleeping for four hours.  I couldn’t get a second sleep so I got up.  Went out around 7:30 and cleaned out the chicken coop.  It was nice and cool and it was easy to clean out today.

Went into Strong City to the hardware store and got a new can opener.  I needed to go to Emporia to get new oil pans for the chicken coop as the ones I have are rusted through.  I also need a new toner cartridge for my printer but couldn’t summon the energy to drive to Emporia today.  Neither item were emergencies so decided they could wait until my next trip to town.  It was nice to be able to easily open a can of beets for my salad at lunch today.  I also found out that if I take my deck paint can into them they can order the paint I might need to finish the deck project.  They are a True Value Hardware store.  The True Value Hardware store in Emporia where I got the paint is no longer a True Value Hardware and can no longer get the paint I need. That was an easy solution to a potential problem.

Finished printing a paper copy of my blog entries.  I was way behind printing them so it took a while to do so.  My printer gets confused if I get ahead of it so I have to wait until it starts printing the pages before I can move on to tell it to print the next page.  It must not like to multi-task!  I have an electronically backup but I lost over a years of blog posts when the blog company changed software and no longer trust that the backup works like it is supposed to.  Not sure what I am going to do with the paper copies but I feel better knowing I have them if the system crashes.

Went to Pioneer Bluffs to volunteer for the Day of the Cowboy event they hosted today.  I only stayed for two hours.  They had plenty of volunteers and didn’t need me.  I saw some friends and visited for a bit with them.  I wasn’t in a talkative mood today and came home early.  The event seemed to be well attended and people were having a good time.

Came home feeling a bit light-headed so laid down and took a nap.  I feel fine now.  I was hot and tired and probably a bit dehydrated.  I’ve been pushing fluids since I woke up and the light-headedness has gone away.  When my thyroid levels get out of whack I can have blood pressure issues so will start checking my blood pressure and keeping an eye on it.

Got the final set of lab results back.  I was surprised my potassium levels were good as I had forgotten to take the potassium pills with me on vacation.  Maybe I don’t need them anymore.  The only result that was concerning beside my TSH level being way too high was the BUN level.  It was 36 which is the highest I have ever had and above the 20 recommended high.  My levels have slowly been creeping higher these last two years.  BUN has something to do with kidneys.  I have been having lots of leg and foot cramps lately so will mention that to the doctor when I have my pre op exam Tuesday.  I have a full physical scheduled for August 19 so will have two chances to talk to him about it.

Tomorrow I have absolutely nothing on my calendar that has to be done.  I may get out and do some deck painting tomorrow morning if I get up early enough.  It will be nice to get back on that project.  The deck has been patiently waiting for me to get back to it.  The steps need sanded before I can paint them but there is a support beam that I can do.  It is high ladder work but if I go slow and steady I can get it done.  Jim is going to sand and paint while he is here taking care of me after my foot surgery in August.  I bet I can paint the low stuff once I get put in a boot one or two weeks after surgery.  I won’t do the ladder stuff with a boot on.

Monday I am going to KC all day.  I am meeting a friend for lunch, have an appointment with my trust attorney in the afternoon, meeting another friend for coffee, and then going out to dinner with Nicole and Geoff.  It will be a long day but a fun one.  I also need to go to Costco and pick up a few things.  Tuesday I have a doctor’s appointment in Emporia in the morning for my pre op clearance.  Wednesday I should be able to get back to painting in the morning before it gets too hot.

The house feels big and empty to me this evening.  I realize how much richer my life is with Jim around.

Grateful the girls have fresh linens tonight and the job of cleaning out the chicken coop is done, grateful my blog posts are copied and caught up, and grateful buying a can opener solve a potential paint problem.

 

 

Went into Emporia this morning after I had breakfast. I dumped off my car full of recycling material in Cottonwood Falls, went to the bank and stopped by to see a friend then headed to Emporia. In Emporia I got a new filter for my refrigerator, picked up a prescription, stopped at the liquor store and then hit Walmart. It felt good to cross a bunch of things off my to do list.

I had called a guy to fix my back yard retaining walls over a year ago. He forgot about me and I finally remembered to call him. He was to have come yesterday but finally showed up today. He has a project near me and thinks he can send one of his guys over to get the project done over the next couple of weeks. One wall has deteriorated to the point that it needs completely redone and the other one only needs about half of it totally rebuilt. He is going to install a drain behind the stones and then backfill the area behind the stones. I trust he won’t forget about me this time or start the project and never finish it. Time will tell!

I got one bedroom cleaned and the sheets off the other bed are in the dryer. Still need to clean two bathrooms and one bedroom and then the house will be back in order. I do want to clean the whole house before surgery August 7 but have lots of time to get that done.

Discovered some of the chicken feed has gone bad. I didn’t think they had gone through enough while I was gone. I checked it closer and found mold on some of it. I dumped out the feeder and put fresh feed in it. They went after it big time! Not sure where the mold came from. I dump it from the sacks into kitty litter containers and store them where they don’t get wet. Feed is so expensive I hate to throw it away but I can’t feed them moldy feed.

Had a quiet afternoon at home. I laid down for a bit but didn’t fall asleep. I’m glad I didn’t as I will sleep better tonight since I didn’t take a nap. It felt good to stretch out and rest for a bit. I have enjoyed the silence of the house this afternoon. It has been a bit since I have had complete silence to enjoy.

Tomorrow Pioneer Bluffs is having a big event in the afternoon. Still not sure if I am up to going to it. I’ll make a last minute decision tomorrow if I feel like going. I didn’t realize how tired I am until this afternoon. Another quiet day at home sounds like what I need right now but the event sounds fun too. Some of my favorite people will be there and I would love to see them and visit with them.

I hope to get up fairly early tomorrow morning and get out and get the chicken coop cleaned out. It is overdue for a clean out as I didn’t get it done before I left for Maine and Colorado. I may go down and do it this evening if it cools off a bit. I am always glad when that project is done.

I tried to open a can of beets to put on my salad for lunch and discovered my can opener no longer works. I tried using a punch to get it open and gave up. I’ll need to go to town tomorrow and get a new can opener. Wish I had discovered it before my trip to town today.

It felt good to eat my normal food today. My body seems to thrive on my normal food. Trusting the new thyroid medication will help bring my levels down quickly and I will regain my energy level. I don’t like being a couch potato anymore.

Need to figure out a new way to get my trash to the curb. The 1/4 mile driveway gravel eats the trash can wheels. I looked on-line for a cart of some sort to put the trash can in but the wheels on the carts I found don’t look anymore sturdy than the plastic wheels on the trash can. Anyone have a suggestion for a solution?

I have been practicing using the knee scooter and the crutches. It may be a long two weeks when I have to be non-weight bearing. I’m getting better with the crutches but haven’t attempted steps yet. Glad it is only for one or two weeks and not weeks or months!

Feeling a bit disconnected from my friends and family here in Chase County. Visiting with a friend last night and today helped a bit. One disadvantage of being gone so much is it makes it hard to stay current on friends and family. I may try to make some lunch dates for next week so I can catch up with my dear friends.

Finally feel like all of me has arrived home. I am not so scattered tonight and feel like I have gotten a bit refilled. I love how the quiet prairie fills my soul with peace. I will go out and sit on the deck in a bit and watch the sunset. Oh how I miss those when I am gone. The sunrise this morning was beautiful.

Grateful for a productive trip to town this morning, grateful to be back home on the prairie, and grateful for a contented soul tonight.